Ruined
by Piratesss
Summary: When Mako can't escape the Triple Threats in "The Sting," Asami stays to protect him. Despite killing her rapists, the two of them are haunted by the attack for months. Mako finally returns Asami's earlier favor, saving her and her unborn baby from dishonor... but Asami is in love with someone else. Past rape/violence, pregnancy, abortion, Marriage Of Convenience, Makorrasami h/c.
1. Chapter 1

Being dead wasn't so bad.

The hard part was remembering he existed. Once he remembered that, he started remembering other things. He remembered pain, in an abstract kind of way. He remembered salty air whipping around his face. He remembered letting someone down.

Asami. He remembered letting Asami down, somehow.

"Mako?" Her voice was pulling him back, but it was pulling him faster than he wanted to come. "Mako, please wake up."

He resisted. For some reason, he was convinced that going back to his body would hurt. But she sounded so scared and upset...

"Please, Mako. I need you. I can't get the ropes off without you, and I think we're drifting out to sea. Wake up, please wake up!"

Her voice was raw and crackly, like she'd accidentally breathed in caustic fumes. Mako wasn't sure why she'd gone hoarse. It might have been from Shady Shin choking her. Or, more likely, she'd lost her voice after the pain had finally broken her stubborn silence. How long had she screamed and pleaded after Mako had lost consciousness? He felt cold, even nestled like he was in fuzzy darkness.

"I should never have made you help me. I'm so sorry, Mako-"

He seemed to fall back into his body from some great height. The extreme pain knocked the air out of his lungs. He gasped, thrashing around on the hard wooden deck underneath him.

"Oh, Mako!" Asami was a blur of heat and comfort and sweat and fading perfume. "I'm so glad you're awake."

He couldn't answer at first. He lay there, groaning in pain while she left wet kisses all over his face. When her face finally came into focus, he remembered why his mind hurt worse than his body. Her tears had carried the makeup away from her eyes and dried in asymmetric swirls all the way down her neck. She sniffed, but there was no stopping the clear snot leaking from her nose.

"Asami," he croaked. He coughed, and pain jolted through him. "Ughhh..."

"I was so worried." Her lips twitched, sending dried blood flaking from the corner of her mouth onto his chin. "How's your head?"

"I've had worse," he lied. "How long was I out?"

"I don't know." Asami wiped her face on his shirt, but her cheeks still shone in in the moonlight. "Maybe an hour?"

"Where did they go?"

"I don't know," Asami said. "They stood around having a smoke after they finished. Then they tied my hands behind my back like yours and just left."

"Are you okay?" he asked.

Asami nodded. "I hurt, but I think I'll heal. Can you firebend me out of these ropes?"

"Give me your hands," Mako said.

She shifted, wincing with every movement, until her back was to him. She held his hands in hers. Her fingers were cold and soft, with tool-calluses on the edges of her fingers.

"I'll probably burn you again," he warned her.

"Just do it," she said over her shoulder.

He grasped the ropes around her wrist and ignited them. For the second time that evening, he singed Asami while trying to help her. He extinguished the fire as soon as he felt her break free of the ropes, but he could already smell her skin burning.

"Sorry," he said.

"It's fine." Asami brushed the ropes off and stretched her arms. "Let me find something to free you with."

She pulled her jacket closed over her torn dress and pulled a pin out of her hair. She knelt behind Mako.

"Hold still," she said. "I don't want to jab you by accident."

He would have felt better if she had hurt him, but she was too careful for that. She picked his cuffs open and freed his arms, but they hung uselessly at his sides. Asami cut the ropes on his ankles, and then she rubbed down his arms while he kicked his legs to restore circulation.

"We need to call for help," Asami said. "We're pretty much dead in the water. The captain took off with the Triple Threats."

"I bet he was paid off too," Mako said. "Ugh! How could I be so stupid? This is all my fault!"

"It's not your fault." Asami tugged him onto his feet. "I was the one who begged you to help me. All I could think about when they were kicking you was that you were going to die, and it was going to be all my fault for guilting you into doing this."

Mako had to lean heavily on Asami just to stay on his feet. He put his arm around her shoulders, his other hand holding his ribs.

"No," he said. "This isn't your fault. I never should have suggested them in the first place. We can't change that now, though. What's the plan?"

"Let's get to the bridge," she suggested. "We can radio Varrick for help."

They made slow progress, thanks to Mako walking with all the steadiness of a newborn monkey-giraffe. When they finally made it up the stairs, Asami sat Mako on the sofa and fiddled with the radio.

"Asami to Varrick, Asami to Varrick, over," she said.

There was silence for a moment, then Zhu Li's voice answered, "Varrick will be here in a minute, over."

"Thanks," Asami said. "Um, over."

A few minutes later, Varrick's voice boomed from the radio. "Asami! Great to hear from you. How was the thing?"

"Not good," Asami said. "Mako and I need a healer, and I need a personal favor from you. Over."

"Go for it," Varrick said.

"I need you to go by my warehouse," she said. "The gang we hired for protection double-crossed us. I'm worried whoever hired them might have cleaned out my factory. Would you mind checking on it for me? Over."

"I'm already on my way," Varrick said. "Oh, wait. Do you need a specific kind of healer?"

"No," Asami said. "As long as she's good."

"You got it," Varrick said. "Can you get the ship to port?"

"Negative." Asami held up a bundle of cut, frayed wires. "Looks like they completely disabled steering and power. We're sitting turtleducks. I don't even know how I'm talking to you. Sorry."

"It's fine," he said. "It'll give me an excuse to test out a new bit of technology I've been sitting on. You two hang tight, and we'll be there in two shakes of a rabbit-lion's tail. Over."

Asami replaced the radio and snooped through Varrick's stuff.

"What are you doing?" Mako asked.

"Looking for this." Asami held up a blue carafe. She opened it and sniffed it. "Phew. Yeah, this should do the trick."

She took a gulp from the glass bottle and made a face. She offered it to Mako, who refused.

"Come on, Mako. I think we've earned a drink," she said.

"I'll pass," Mako said. His head felt woozy enough as it was, and besides, he didn't deserve to get drunk. He deserved to enjoy every minute of pain, the way Asami had suffered while he'd been knocked out.

Asami shrugged and took another drink. As she lowered the carafe, she glanced around the room.

"What do you need?" Mako asked.

"Some kind of fabric," she said.

He pulled his scarf off his neck and offered it to her.

"Oh, no," she said. "I don't want to ruin it."

"Ruin it? What do you need it for?"

Asami reached inside her jacket and tore off a strip from her ruined white chemise. "I was going to start cleaning your injuries. They look pretty bad."

She dabbed blood away from his brow, his chin, the area right under his broken nose. She was sweeter and a whole lot gentler than he deserved.

"So... you need a healer, too?" he asked to break the silence. "Why?"

She lowered her eyes, as if she were too embarrassed to maintain eye contact. "I have some injuries of my own," she said. "Nothing like yours, but I'm worried there might be some permanent damage."

"Sex injuries?" Mako asked in surprise. "I didn't know that was a real thing."

"Yes. Well, in this case..." She swallowed and kept her eyes on the cut on his cheek. "In this case, technically, it would be rape injuries, but yes. I hope it heals right. There was so much blood, Mako."

"Don't worry," he said. "They probably just took your virginity."

She blinked at him, once, twice, three times.

"Mako, you and I had sex," she said. "Multiple times. And you weren't even my first. How could they have taken my virginity?"

"I just figured I didn't go deep enough to break... whatever girls have up there."

Asami gave him a puzzled look. "It doesn't work like that. _At all._ Where did you even...? You know what, let's talk about this later. I'm more worried about getting us home right now." She took a deep breath and blew it out. "If my company goes bankrupt..."

Mako took the carafe from her hands, poured a bit of alcohol on the end of his scarf, and used the damp cloth to wipe the makeup, dried blood, and flaky white patches off Asami's face. "Everything will be okay," he said. "We have enough to worry about right here. Let's not worry about theoretical problems until we know for sure they're happening."

"You're right." She put her hand on his. "Thank you."

He wiped her dripping nose on a dry part of his scarf, and she went back to tending to his injuries. When she touched his swollen eye, he flinched away from her fingers.

"Sorry," she said.

"It's okay. Does my face look as bad as it feels?"

"Probably worse," she said.

They both snorted with laughter at that, but then Mako ruined it by grimacing in pain. He continued cleaning her with his scarf. When he delved below her collarbones, she shoved his hands away.

"That's good, thanks," she said. "I'll take a bath in a little bit."

"You can take a bath now," he said.

"No, I have to wait."

"I'll be fine," he assured her. "Go take a bath if you want."

"I can't," she said. "You're not supposed to bathe until after the police examine you."

Mako frowned, which hurt a lot more than he was expecting. "Trust me, Asami, you don't want to talk to the police."

"I won't tell them what we were up to," Asami said. "But we have to report it! Mako, if I don't say anything and those gangsters hurt anyone else-"

"They won't," Mako said flatly. "We'll handle it. But I'm telling you, as a cop, the police are the last people you want finding out about this. Do you really want Lu and Gang making you describe your attack and over again? Do you want them laughing about it the second you leave the room? They're not going to catch the Triple Threats, and even if they did, the jury wouldn't convict them."

"But they're gangsters," Asami said. "At least some of them have done this before! Surely there would be other witnesses-"

"The Triple Threats have a way of making witnesses disappear," Mako said. "If they didn't make you disappear too, the police and lawyers would drag you-and your company-through the mud. They'll ask what you were doing with the Triple Threats in the first place. They'll measure the length of your skirt and make you write a list of every person you've ever had relations with. They'll turn the tables on you and try to hang you up for making a false report. Please, Asami. I'm begging you not go to the police, and not just because it could cost me my job. I've never seen anyone make a report about this who didn't regret it later."

"All right." Asami sighed. "I'll think about it."

"That's all I'm asking," Mako said.

Asami grabbed an ornate gold pipe and a small wooden box from Varrick's belongings. She sat next to Mako and opened the box, dropping a pinch of its contents into the pipe.

"What is that?" Mako asked.

"Opium." She showed him the label on the box, which read, 'Varrick's Opium. Do NOT Steal.' "No lighter, though."

"I've got it." He took the pipe from her and lit a weak flame over the end.

Asami sucked air through the pipe like she knew what she was doing, so he simply provided the fire until she pulled the pipe away from him. He scrutinized her movements, and when she offered the pipe to him, he imitated her. He took a deep breath, coughed, and took another hit. His pain lessened almost instantly. He took one more puff before handing it to Asami.

"Wow," he said. "That's something else."

"First time?" she asked.

"Yes. Why do I get the feeling you know a lot more about opium than I do?"

Asami took a long drag off the pipe, closing her eyes and holding her breath for a moment before exhaling. "What did you think women used for painful female problems?"

"I honestly didn't realize that was a thing."

"Now you know." She took a smaller puff. "Do you need to lie down?"

He did, but there was no way he'd admit it.

"I'm fine," he said.

"Okay." She lay down on her side, using his knee for a pillow. "Let me know if you change your mind."

"I will," he said.

She seemed so vulnerable lying there. He put his hand on her shoulder, but he pulled it away instantly when she startled at the touch.

"Sorry," he said.

"It's okay," she said. "You just surprised me."

There was another uncomfortable silence between them. Mako picked at the lint on the sofa, unsure what to do or say.

"Was that stuff true?" he finally asked.

"What stuff?"

"About you and Korra."

"Of course not," Asami said. "But I could tell Ping was into Korra, and they were going to kill you if I couldn't get him off, so I did what I had to."

"Oh," he said. "Thanks for keeping me alive, in that case."

"I wasn't going to let you die," Asami said. "Not when you were the only one sweet enough to help me."

"I wish you would have," he said. "You could have gotten away."

"But you couldn't have," she pointed out. "Stop arguing and be grateful."

"I am," he said. "Sorry. And thanks again."

She reached behind her and picked up his hand, setting it back onto her shoulder. They rested like that for a long time. It wasn't until he felt something wet on his knee that he realized she was crying again. Mako offered her the pipe, but Asami pushed it away.

"Come on," he said. "I don't like you being in pain."

"It's not the pain."

"Then... what's wrong?" he asked, perplexed.

"My company," she said, swallowing hard. "They stole everything from me. And when I lie still, I can feel them moving inside me again. And... and my father would be so disappointed in me!" Asami burst into fullblown tears. "Mako, if he finds out... But worse, if the company folds-"

"The company won't fold," Mako said. "I'll do whatever it takes to keep that from happening. I owe you my life; it's the least I can do. All right?"

She bunched her hand down inside her sleeve and wiped her face with it. "All right."

Mako massaged her back through her dusty jacket until she fell into an uneasy, drugged sleep. He nodded off a few times himself, but he shook himself awake, determined to keep watch over her until help arrived. The silence made his ears ring, but now he heard Asami's screams instead of the high pitched shrilling he was used to. Mako pressed his hands over his ears, but it didn't help.

"Helloooo?" Bolin called. "Yoohoooo! Mako! Asami?"

Asami stirred at the sound of her name. Her jacket fell open, exposing her breasts, so Mako tossed a blanket over her.

"In here, Bolin. And shut up!"

"Sorry," Bolin whispered loudly, poking his head inside the room. "There you are! Whoa, you really do need a healer."

"I'm fine," Mako said. "Have the healer take care of Asami first."

Varrick and Zhu Li followed Bolin inside.

"Aha," Varrick said. "You found them. Good work, Bolin."

"Hey, why didn't you tell me this sting operation was for Asami?" Bolin demanded. "I totally would've helped if I'd known it was for her! You should have mentioned that!"

"I thought I did," Mako said. "Who else would I be running a sting operation for?"

"Never mind that," Varrick said. "What the flameo happened to you two? Asami was pretty vague over the radio."

"The Triple Threats double-crossed us," Mako said. "They beat me up and... they roughed up Asami."

"Oh, boy," Varrick said. "Did they do any physical damage to her?"

"I don't think she would have asked for a healer if they didn't," Mako said tersely.

"Point taken," Varrick said.

"Those bastards are going to pay," Mako said. "And when I find out who hired them, I'm really going to make them wish they'd never been born."

"I'll help," Bolin offered. "You know I think of Asami as-"

"A sister who got separated from us at birth," Mako said. "I know. You've only told me a dozen times."

A creaking, rushing sound came from the ceiling overhead.

"That'll be the healer," Varrick said, waving his hands wildly. "Waterbenders and their water, am I right? Who's first for a healing?"

Mako shook Asami. She elbowed him in the arm without waking.

"I guess I will go first after all," Mako said. "Bolin, can you keep an eye on Asami while I'm in my session?"

"You bet!" Bolin assumed a protective stance near the couch. "Nuktuk will defend the beautiful Asami with his life!"

Mako was too tired and sore to even roll his eyes. "Just tell her where I went if she wakes up," he said.

"Got it," Bolin said.

"Zhu Li, you stay with them," Varrick said.

"Yes, Sir." Zhu Li bowed.

"Will someone pull me up?" Mako asked

Varrick and Bolin each grabbed one of Mako's hands and heaved him off the sofa. Varrick helped Mako into the adjacent bathroom, which was decorated in plush blues and silvers. A middle-aged woman was running water into the tub.

"Strip down to your underwear," she ordered.

Mako hoped the lady would be a little gentler with Asami, who had probably had enough of strangers trying to get her naked. Mako struggled with his clothes for a few minutes before Varrick finally helped him undress.

"Get in the tub," the healer said.

Mako, wearing only his undershorts, held onto Varrick for support while sinking into the cool water.

"Does it have to be this cold?" Mako's teeth chattered.

"I couldn't get the hot water to work," the healer said. "I think it's because the engine isn't running."

Mako heated the water with his fists until it was so hot it itched. The waterbender waved her hands over the water until it glowed a bright sky blue. She healed his raw wrists first.

"Now, Mako." Varrick settled onto the closed commode, resting his chin on his hands. "Tell me everything that happened. Did these guys attack you out of nowhere, or did you two do something to provoke them?"

"We didn't do anything!" Mako said. "I overheard them say they were being paid to keep us distracted, so Asami and I tried to bolt. We didn't get very far. They hit me over the head with something, and I went down. Asami stayed behind to protect me." He winced. "She couldn't fight all of them and keep me safe at the same time, so she surrendered. They tied us up and beat me some more, and then..." He stared at his bare feet, struggling to find the words. "And then they... they... you know."

"Yeah, I know, kid." For once, Varrick was serious. "So help me understand: they caught you trying to escape, some kind of fight ensued, you both got tied up, and they raped Asami... why, exactly? For sport?"

"To put her in her place," Mako said.

"What, as a woman?"

"And as a nonbender," Mako said. "They said it was just for fun, but I know those guys. They don't like working for women, especially not rich and powerful nonbender women."

"Well, it could have been worse, am I right?" Varrick scratched his mustache. "At least they didn't hurt her as bad as they hurt you."

"Apparently they were under orders not to," Mako said. "They said they could bump me off if they wanted to, but that they weren't allowed to seriously hurt Asami."

"You would think 'brutally gang rape' would be covered under the definition of 'seriously hurt,'" Varrick muttered.

"They're gangsters," Mako said. "They'll take any loophole they can find."

"Sure sounds like it," Varrick said. "So, they were under orders not to hurt Asami, but you were fair game. What do you make of that?"

"I guess someone had a moral objection to hurting women," Mako said. "Or... maybe...? No, it's crazy."

"I'm all about crazy," Varrick said. "What are you thinking?"

"What if someone close to Asami did this?" Mako asked. "Someone who wants control of her company, but doesn't want her hurt?"

"Who do you have in mind?" Varrick asked.

"Hiroshi," Mako said. "He must have someone on the outside working for him!"

"Hmm," Varrick said. "You might be onto something there."

The healer started working on Mako's face just then, so the conversation came to a halt.

"I'm not going to be able to restore that tooth," the healer said. "All I can do is stop the bleeding and close the wound so you don't get a dry socket."

"I don't care," Mako said. "I just need to be able to fight again."

The healer surrounded his head with the glowy water, and Mako stopped talking while she worked. She might have had a harsher bedside manner than Chief Beifong, but she'd made Mako feel at least eighty percent better in a matter of minutes. He could see why Varrick had hired her.

"All finished," she said. "You'll probably need a follow up session in a couple of days."

"I'm fine, thanks." Mako stood up, feeling sore but significantly less broken.

Varrick handed him a towel, and Mako dried off and pulled his clothes back on.

"Was there someone else I was supposed to heal?" the woman asked.

"Yeah, we just have to wake her up," Varrick said.

"I'll do it," Mako said. "She might be scared if anyone else wakes her."

The others crowded around while Mako knelt next to the sofa. "Asami, are you ready for your healing session?" He shook her shoulder gently. "Asami-"

She woke with a start at his touch, half-raising herself off the cushions and staring around the room wildly. The left side of her face bore red lines from the wrinkles in the sofa fabric. Mako could feel her trembling through the cushions, and her breathing was as jerky as it'd been during her earlier ordeal.

"Give her some space, you guys," Mako said, waving away the four adults standing right behind him. "Go sit down in those chairs over there. You wouldn't want a bunch of people towering over you if you were in her shoes."

Bolin and Varrick sat, while Zhu Li and the healer simply took a few steps back.

Asami rubbed her eyes, smudging what was left of her makeup. "Where am I?"

"Varrick's ship," Mako said. "You called Varrick and then smoked his opium and fell asleep. Remember?"

"Oh, no." She covered her face with one hand, her fingers splayed out. "Does that mean that everything really happened?"

"Sorry," Mako said.

Asami pulled the blanket up to her chin. "I hurt so badly..."

"I know," Mako said. "But the healer is here now. Do you want to get in the bath and let her heal you?"

Asami nodded. Mako helped her sit up, and she blinked in a drugged haze while clutching the blanket to her chest.

"Bolin?" she asked, squinting. "What are you doing here?"

"Uh, I hope you don't mind, but I kind of overheard that you guys were in trouble and decided to tag along," Bolin said. "Is that okay?"

"No, it's great to see you." Asami yawned. "Sorry, I'm not completely myself right now. Varrick? Did you go by my factory?"

"Yeah, and I have good news and bad news," Varrick said. "The good news is that I have plenty more opium where that came from!"

"And the bad news?"

"Everything was wiped clean," Varrick said. "Those thieves didn't leave a single screw behind."

"No." Asami slid from the sofa onto her knees, her hair and the blanket draping protectively over her. "No, no, please! What could I possibly have done to deserve this?" She sobbed into the handful of blanket in her fist. "What kind of horrible, messed up human being would pay gangsters to hurt me-for hours-just to steal my merchandise?! If I ever meet that monster-"

"Let's not jump to conclusions," Varrick said. "Maybe whoever hired the Triple Threats didn't plan for things to go down like that."

"I don't care," Asami stared down at her white knuckles. "It's over. I'm ruined. I give up."

"Hey, everything will be okay," Bolin said, patting Asami's shoulder. "Probably."

Asami cried harder at that.

"Why don't we get you into that healing session?" Mako suggested. "I know you're in a lot of pain."

"No, I can't afford a healer!" Asami cried. "I can't even afford a cup of tea! I'm bankrupt, Mako!"

Varrick shifted in his seat, looking uncomfortable.

"Asami, I don't want you to worry about a thing right now," Varrick said. "I'll pay for the healer _and_ a cup of tea. How about that?"

"Why would you do that?" Asami asked.

"Why? Why?!" Varrick stood up and paced, waving his arms wildly. "I'm insulted that you would even ask such a thing! Why would I pay for your healer?! Because... because I'm your friend, that's why! You're my friend, and an esteemed business associate, and I'm sure you'll return the favor some day. So you just hop in that bathtub and don't worry about a thing."

"Mako too?" Asami asked.

"I already had my session," Mako said. "Let's get you taken care of now, okay? Please?"

Asami nodded. Mako tucked the blanket tightly around her, and then he and Bolin lifted her onto her feet.

"Zhu Li, help Asami do... whatever she needs to do," Varrick said.

Zhu Li bowed slightly and followed Asami into the bathroom. Bolin quickly ducked back into the other room, but Asami's fingers dug into Mako's sleeve.

"You want me to stay?" he asked.

"If you don't mind."

"No, of course not," he said, even though the opposite was true. "I'll stay with you if you want me to."

Asami nodded and began removing her clothes, aided by Zhu Li. Mako kicked the door closed and looked down at his hands while she undressed. A sniffing sound made him glance up. Asami had stripped off everything but her garter belt and singed stockings, and she was examining her bruises and burns in the mirror.

"It looks so much worse than I expected," she said.

The healer cleared her throat. "Not to rush you, dear, but every second we put this off increases the chance of those burns scarring."

Asami stripped off the remains of her torn stockings and her charred garter belt. Mako leaned against a wall and looked away to protect her modesty. He heard her step into the water and then, a few seconds later, hiss in pain as Zhu Li helped her slide into the warm water.

"Are you okay?" Mako asked. "Is the water too hot?"

"No, I'm fine," Asami said, her voice strained. "It just stings. Thanks, Zhu Li. I'll be okay now, if you don't mind."

"Of course." Zhu Li bowed before leaving.

The healer pulled two streams of water out of the tub, making Asami flinch.

"I'm not going to hurt you, sweetheart," the healer said.

Mako shuddered. _Sweetheart._ It was the same pet name the Triple Threats had repeatedly called Asami. From the way Asami's hand clutched the bathtub rim, Mako wasn't alone in his revulsion to the word.

"I'm sorry," Asami said. "My attackers, they, uh..." She swallowed her tears. "They used waterbending on me in horrible ways."

"That's become a really popular technique." The healer said, as if she were discussing fashion trends. "It's terrible the way some benders oppress and hurt non-benders just because they can. Not all benders, of course."

As she spoke, she pooled the bathwater over her hands until it glowed a bright blue.

"Those are some ugly burns," The healer said. "They'll probably leave scars. The ones on your wrists aren't too bad, but this one on your leg looks nasty. Oh, and these go most of the way up your inner thighs. That must have been pretty painful."

Asami nodded as the waterbender healed the burns.

"At least it's nothing too serious," the healer said. "Usually when I make house calls, it's for life-threatening burns. People set on fire and left to die, that sort of thing."

Asami pressed her lips together and hung her head, staring down at the glowing water. Mako crossed his arms.

"We appreciate you coming to us, then, even if our injuries weren't as life-threatening as what you usually see," Mako said. "I trust Varrick is paying you well, both for your services and your discretion?"

"Hm," the healer agreed. She started on the burns on Asami's legs.

Asami sucked in a breath through her teeth.

"Oh, it doesn't hurt that much," the healer chided her.

"I know. It's just that... my mother was one of those people who was set on fire and left to die," Asami choked out. "Ever since the Triple Threats burned me, I keep hearing her screams whenever it's too quiet."

Mako raised his head, surprised that she was hearing screams out of silence, too.

"A lot of people have lost their parents to firebenders," the healer said. "It sure doesn't make them look good, does it? No offense, sir."

"None taken." Mako stuffed his hands in his pockets.

The healer kept shifting the water around, and Asami eventually regained her composure again.

"Can you do anything about these bruises?" Asami asked, gesturing to the spatter of hickeys across her chest and neck. "I don't want anyone to see them."

The healer focused her energy on them, and the ugly bruises faded in front of Mako's eyes.

"That's the best I can do," the healer said. "I need you to spread your legs for me now."

Asami's shoulders stiffened, her knees locking as the healer tried to pry them apart. The woman huffed in frustration.

"Any day now..."

"Just give her a second!" Mako snapped.

Asami closed her eyes and took three deep breaths. As she blew out the third breath, she pressed her trembling knees against either side of the tub.

"Good," the healer said. "Just relax."

"I'm trying," Asami said. "I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize," Mako said. "You didn't do anything wrong. If anyone should apologize, it's the Triple Threats."

"Hm. You know, it doesn't surprise me that these scandals are happening more often," the healer mused as she healed the burns on Asami's inner thighs. "Girls around here keep wearing their skirts higher and higher. No offense, dear, but I'm sure they wouldn't have taken their frustrations out on you if you'd just dressed a little more respectably. The woman has to plant the idea in a man's mind for him to act on it. A good lesson for next time, I guess. No one makes the same mistake twice. Not after something like this."

"No," Asami agreed, her voice thick with tears. "I'm sure they don't."

Mako wished there was a way to make the healer shut up without offending her to the point of risking Asami's care. He couldn't think of any, so he kept his mouth shut and glared at the healer's back.

"That's all for the burns, dear," the healer said. "It looks like you have some tearing."

Mako tensed. This conversation was turning into everything he'd feared it would.

"Is it bad?" Asami asked. "Can you fix it?"

"Yes. It's hardly anything," the healer assured her.

"It doesn't feel like 'hardly anything.'"

"That's just because it's in a sensitive area. It's actually a very common type of tearing. I've seen much, much worse. Hold still while I fix it for you. We're almost done."

Asami inhaled through her teeth, her body rigid.

"Is that better?" the healer asked.

"Yes," Asami said through chattering teeth. "Thank you."

The waterbender raised up a serpent-like blob of water, freezing both Mako and Asami in place. She rammed the glowing water into Asami without warning. Mako's jaw dropped. Even if Asami hadn't just mentioned her incredibly recent waterbender-related trauma, it seemed terribly unprofessional not to warn someone before using that kind of technique on them. But then, Mako wasn't a professional healer, so maybe he was just overly sensitive.

Whatever the case, Asami was equally distressed. She smacked the back of her head on the tub in her panic to escape. The healer held Asami down by the collarbones, as if calming a frightened rabbaroo.

"I have to take care of your internal injuries," the healer said irritably. "I'm not sure what you were expecting. Just lie still. It will only take a moment."

Asami covered her mouth with one hand, trying in vain to stifle her sobs. Her other hand jutted out of the bathtub, splashing water all over the rug, her fingers stretching for Mako. Mako crawled over to the tub, cupping her steaming hand in both of his.

"It's okay, Asami." His monotone words didn't even sound like his. "It will be over soon."

Asami's nails dug into Mako's hand. He extracted a hand and massaged the back of Asami's head, where she'd bumped it a moment before. She wept quietly into his hands, her knees quivering against the sides of the tub.

"Uh... is this actually helping?" Mako asked.

Asami nodded, kissing the back of his fingers to comfort herself. He squeezed her hand. At least this time he could hold onto her.

"Finished."

All the water splashed back into the tub. Asami's shoulders slumped in relief, but she was still as tense as Mako felt.

"What about my cycle?" Asami asked.

"You'll just have to wait and see," the woman said. "If you haven't gotten it in a few weeks, you should make an appointment with a midwife."

"I can't afford a midwife." Asami's fingertips dabbed tears from her eyes. "I've lost everything today. If I lose my cycle, too, I'll... I don't know what I'll do. I'll probably jump off a bridge."

"Most healers will work something out with with you." The woman dried her hands on a towel. "I'll leave the bill with Varrick."

She left, not bothering to close the door. Before Mako could properly fume about her disrespect for Asami's privacy, Zhu Li hurried in, handed a stack of women's clothes to Mako, and hurried back out-shutting the door behind her.

"Are you ready to get out?" Mako asked.

"No," Asami said. "I'm not ready to face the others yet. And I'd really like to clean up properly."

"Take your time," Mako said.

She let go of his hand, and he sat back against the wall. She rubbed some of the fancy soap into a lather and worked it into her hair. When she plunged herself under the water, Mako sat upright, ready to drag her back up if she stayed under too long. She emerged a few seconds later, however, gasping and wiping water out of her face. She massaged some kind of lotion onto the bottom half of her hair, tucked it over her shoulder, and began scrubbing herself down with soap and a sponge.

"You aren't really going to jump off a bridge, are you?" Mako asked.

"I guess we'll find out soon enough," Asami said darkly, sinking up to her shoulders in the water.

"Look, I don't understand all the details about women's bodies, but nothing is worth your life," Mako said. "Whatever you're afraid of, I'll take care of it, okay? Financially, or... whatever you need. If the worst happens, I'll be there for you."

"Like you were there for me after my father went on his rampage and I had to leave my home?"

Mako winced, but she had a point. "Asami-"

"So if I give birth to a baby that looks and bends just like one of my rapists, you'll take care of me?" she demanded. "You'll financially support the two of us? For how long? Until Korra gets back from her business trip?"

Mako banged his forehead against the tub. "I'm so stupid," he said. "I'm sorry, Asami. I should never have treated you like that, especially not when you were in such a dark place. But I promise you, this time, I'll be there for you. Whatever happens."

"Don't offer to take care of me because you don't want me to jump off a bridge," Asami said. "I don't want your friendship-or anything else-out of pity or guilt."

"I promise," he assured her. "I'll take care of you because I want to, and for no other reason."

They were silent for a long time, the only sound the splash and gurgle of the water. Mako was just imagining burning off Viper's 'instrument' when Asami sat up in the tub and splashed water over her face.

"Could you please hand me a towel?" she asked.

Mako offered her a plush blue towel rolled into a cylinder. She shook it loose and dried her face.

"I'll be out in just a minute," she said. "Will you ask Varrick if he's ready to go?"

Mako forced himself onto his feet and left her to towel off and dress. He made sure to pull the door closed for her privacy.

"How is she?" Bolin asked in a loud whisper.

"We both need some time to heal, I think," Mako said. "Varrick, she wants to know if you're ready to go."

"Sure," he said. "As soon as you two are ready, I'll tell the tugboat to pull us back to the docks."

Mako knocked on bathroom door. "Asami? Varrick said-"

"I heard." Asami slid the door open. "I'm ready."

She had buttoned the dark blue jacket all the way, and her damp hair was wrapped into a loose bun at the nape of her neck. She looked tired and a lot younger, somehow, without her usual makeup.

Varrick jumped up and grabbed the radio. "All right, we're good to go."

The ship jolted. Mako and Asami dropped back onto the sofa, while Varrick and Bolin sat in the captain and navigator seats. Zhu Li stood by Varrick's seat.

"You look... nice, Asami," Bolin offered, fidgeting like he was dying to jump out of his seat and rush over to her. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm okay," she said.

"Are you sure?" He frowned. "Mako said the Triple Threats hurt you. I just want you to know you're totally safe with me."

"Thanks," Asami said, giving Bolin a weak smile. "I appreciate it."

"Do you want a hug?" Bolin asked. "Because I'll totally give you a hug if you want one. A gentle hug. But it's okay if you don't want one. My feelings won't be hurt at all. In fact-"

"Bolin," Mako snapped. "Knock it off."

"Oh, right." Bolin hung his head. "Sorry."

"It's okay," Asami said. "I would actually love a hug."

Bolin's face brightened. He crawled on his hands and knees over to Asami, making little chirping noises.

"Bolin, what are you doing?" Mako asked.

"I'm being non-threatening!" Bolin stood on his knees, holding his hands up like paws in front of his chin. "See? I'm as harmless and safe as Pabu."

Asami giggled, a small but genuine smile parting her lips. "I do feel very safe, Bolin. Thank you." She leaned down and hugged him, and he hugged her back, rubbing her back gently.

"I'm so sorry those guys hurt you," Bolin said into her shoulder. "If you want me to strike the fear of Nuktuk into them, just say the word."

"Thanks," Asami said. "I'll keep that in mind."

She sat back up, and Bolin crawled back to his seat. Noting that Asami had finally stopped shaking since her healing session, Mako put his arm around her waist. Asami's head drooped onto his shoulder.

"Hey, where did the healer go?" Mako glanced around the room.

"She's a waterbender!" Varrick shrugged. "She was impatient to get back to her dinner, so she left without us. Who needs boats when you're a waterbender?"

"Some healer," Mako grumbled. "She treated Asami like garbage!"

"I know her bedside manner isn't great, but she was the best healer I could get on short notice," Varrick said. "Why? What did she do to Asami?"

"It's fine," Asami said. "It doesn't matter."

"No, it does matter!" Mako said. "She did all kinds of rough and inappropriate things, and she accused Asami of provoking the Triple Threats!"

"Well, Asami does have kind of a reputation," Varrick said.

Mako almost stood up at that. "Varrick! Take it back!"

Varrick held his hands up. "I'm not saying the rumors are true, and I'm not saying she deserved or provoked what happened tonight. All I'm saying is that I can see how someone else would think that. Asami, you're not planning on going to the police, are you?"

"I haven't decided yet," Asami said.

"Trust me, you do not want to," Varrick said. "At best, they're useless! At worst... do you know what happens to even the bluenose gals who try to report things like this? The papers have a field day with 'em, and then the courts find their attackers not guilty! Do you really think your company can take another blow like that after tonight? Besides, Mako here would get in a load of trouble. He might even lose his job."

"That's what I told her," Mako said. "The police won't do anything, and even if they do, the papers will dredge up all kinds of dirt and rumors just to convince people it was her fault."

"Listen to Mako," Varrick said. "He's not as dumb as he looks."

"Hey!"

Varrick ignored him. "So what we need to do instead is take justice into our own hands."

"I don't care about justice," Asami said. "I just want to put this behind me and move on."

"You really think they're going to let you do that?" Varrick asked. "You're famous! These guys know where you live and how much you're worth. What's to stop them from blackmailing you? What's to stop them from bragging about it to everyone they know, just for the heck of it? You've gotta take them out before they take you out. Tell her, Mako."

Asami looked at Mako in distress.

"It's true," Mako said. "Extorting more money out of you sounds exactly like the Triple Threats. We need to stop them."

"You mean kill them."

"How else are you going to keep five gangsters from bragging about their conquest?" Varrick asked.

"I don't care about that," Asami said. "I mean- I guess I do, but I'm more worried about them hurting someone else."

"They will," Mako said. "They'll keep hurting people until we stop them."

Asami took a deep breath. "Then I'm in. What's the plan?"

o0o0o

Asami's mansion was unsettlingly quiet once everyone went to bed. After setting her guests up in four guest rooms, Asami had dismissed her concerned servants for the night. Mako lay in bed for several hours, trying to get comfortable, before he finally gave up on sleep. He would have taken Bolin's snoring over the screams echoing in his ears.

He pulled on his robe and slippers and knocked on Asami's door. When she didn't answer, he knocked again and then opened the door a few inches.

"Asami?" he whispered, poking his head inside the room.

Her bed was neatly made, seemingly untouched from whenever her maid had last put it together. Mako closed the door and wandered through the house, listening for any sounds of activity. She wasn't in the kitchen, although he did chug a small glass of milk to quiet his growling stomach. She wasn't in the workshop, or the garage, or the library.

He finally found her leaning over her father's old desk, dozens of papers spread across the wood. He frowned. She had to be exhausted. If Mako didn't figure out a way to get her to go to bed, she'd collapse before long.

He knocked on the open office door, making her jump.

"Oh, Mako!" She pressed her hand over her chest. "You scared me."

"Sorry," he said. "What are you doing?"

"Just trying to figure out some way to save the company," Asami said. "It looks pretty hopeless."

"Are you planning on sleeping at any point?"

"I don't know," she said. "I'm too tired to focus on these words, but I'm too anxious to sleep."

"I know what you mean," Mako said. "My ribs are killing me. That's why I came looking for you. I was hoping you'd come lie down with me for a little while."

"Lie down with you?"

"Yeah," he said. "I used to sleep really well next to you. I thought maybe it would work this time."

Asami hesitated, glancing at her papers one last time before standing up.

"Sure," she said. "I'll lie down with you for a little while. My bed or yours?"

"Yours," he said.

She nodded, and he escorted her to her room. He put on a jazz record while she changed into her nightgown. They climbed into the massive bed together, each throwing a half dozen extra pillows onto the floor. Just like old times, Mako thought.

"Is it okay if I hold you like I used to?" he asked.

She scooted closer to him, pressing her back against his chest. He draped his arm over her midsection and held her close. Immediately, he felt a little better.

"Is that okay?" he asked.

"Yes. It's nice."

Mako closed his eyes and breathed in the scent of her lotions and powders. He'd said the whole spiel about sleeping better with her just to get her resting, but he saw the accidental truth in it now that she was safely dozing in his arms. He didn't realize he'd fallen asleep until someone shook him awake again.

"What?" he grumbled.

"Mako, I think someone broke in," Asami whispered.

"Are you sure you didn't just dream it?" he asked. "Maybe it was the record ending."

"No! I don't know. Maybe. But what if someone did break in?"

"Do you want me check the house?" Mako asked.

"You don't have to. Maybe I should just call the police."

"It'll be faster if I check it, and we don't need to bother the police for a bump in the night." Mako sat up, sucking air through his teeth as the pain came back. "Do you have a flashlight?"

She accompanied him throughout the whole house. He checked every window, every door, every closet. When they returned to her room, He checked inside the wardrobe, underneath the bed, and inside the bathtub.

"I'm such an idiot." Asami rubbed her forehead. "Thank you, Mako. I'm sorry for waking you."

"It's fine," he said. "Here. Help me move this dresser."

"What? Why?"

"Because that way we'll wake up if anyone tries to get into the bedroom."

The two of them shoved the dresser in front of the door.

"I don't think anyone's coming in here now," Asami giggled. "Including my servants! What will they think?"

"It'll give them a fun story to talk about," Mako said. "Come on; let's go back to sleep. I feel like I could use another ten hours."

Mako reset the needle on the record player and crawled under the blankets with Asami. Neither of them woke until well after daybreak.


	2. Chapter 2

Asami was crying again, but this time she was naked in her own bed, and Mako was the one holding her down.

"Why are you being like this?" he demanded. "You said you liked doing this. Remember?"

His fingers gripped her windpipe, the hard ridges wrapped in soft skin, squeezing until she coughed. Her green eyes shone with saltwater that splashed down her face with every blink. In his periphery, somewhere on the deck of Varrick's ship, unseen buddies urged Mako on.

"Yeah, make her take it!"

"Don't be a chicken-sheep!"

"You just have to give it to her until she likes it, haha!"

Mako grabbed a fistful of her thick hair and pulled it taut until she cried out in pain. He throbbed, exploding deep inside her-

He woke with a shudder. He was covered in sweat and other fluids, but he wasn't on a ship- he was in Asami's sunny bedroom. Asami, unaware of the peril she'd just been in, sighed into his chest. Her legs brushed past his as she stretched out in her sleep. He untangled himself from her and tiptoed to the bathroom.

He wadded up his pants and threw them in the corner before running a hot shower, angrily lathering soap into his hair and scraping at his scalp with his nails. He washed away the physical evidence easily enough, but he still felt disgusted with himself.. It didn't matter that it had only been a dream; it had felt so real that Mako half expected to find his handprint on Asami's throat when he got out of the shower.

He toweled off and was buttoning his spare trousers when the dresser scraped a few inches across the floor. Mako rushed into the bedroom. Asami swore and sat straight up in bed, clutching her blankets to her chest and staring wildly around the room.

"Ms. Sato?" the butler asked. "I heard the shower running. I've brought your breakfast."

Mako pulled the dresser away from the door and took the tray from the butler. "Thanks," he said.

The butler raised an eyebrow at Mako, who was shirtless and dripping everywhere, but neither of them said anything. The butler simply bowed and walked off, closing the door on his way out. Mako set the tray on Asami's lap.

"You should eat."

"I'm not hungry." Asami cradled the warm cup in her hands and sniffed it. "You can have whatever you want."

"I'm not hungry either," Mako said. "A nightmare woke me up. I still feel kind of sick from it."

"I'm sorry. I had nothing but bad dreams all night," Asami said. "What was yours about?"

Mako crossed his arms and leaned against the wall. "You. Getting hurt."

She nodded, thankfully not inquiring further. "I dreamt about intruders three or four different times," she said.

"You're probably just nervous about the plan," Mako said. "No one likes being used as bait, especially not in their own home."

"My home has always felt so safe," Asami said. "I hate the idea of them being here, even if... I suppose it doesn't matter. I don't feel particularly safe anywhere right now. Every time I woke up last night, I lay there rewatching those awful things happening to me over and over again, like a mover."

"You should have woken me up," Mako said. "I would have rubbed your back again."

"I didn't want to bother you after that burglar incident." Asami sipped her tea.

Mako grabbed a sweet bun off her plate and picked it apart. "You seem better this morning."

"I feel a little better. But I hurt, inside and out. I feel the way I did right after my father tried to kill me."

"Oh." Mako said. "I'm sorry."

They sat in silence after that. Mako ate his sticky bun and then pulled on a clean shirt. There was a pounding on the door that made both of them jump.

"Asami!" Varrick shouted through the door. "Are you up?"

Mako shoved the dresser out of the way and opened the door. "What do you want?"

"We need to finish hashing out details," Varrick said, rolling up the sleeves of his rich purple robe. "Hey, what are you doing in Asami's room?"

"We fell asleep talking," Asami said.

"Uh huh. Was that before or after you shoved furniture in front of the door?" Varrick knocked on the dresser.

"I had a nightmare that the Triple Threats broke into my home," Asami said.

"Oh." Varrick's teasing expression immediately went serious. "Probably because of the plan."

"That's what I said." Mako buttoned his jacket. "What details do we have left to figure out?"

"I'll tell you about it downstairs," Varrick said, retreating from the bedroom. "Zhu Li! Where's my-"

Zhu Li ran up to him and pressed a small, steaming pillow against the back of his neck.

"Much better," Varrick said, marching down the stairs. "I hate when I have to sleep without my turtleduck feather pillows! We're meeting in the kitchen in five!"

"I guess we'd better get down there," Mako said.

Asami rose, wincing slightly, and disappeared into her bathroom. Mako sat awkwardly at her vanity, unsure whether to go downstairs or wait for her. She emerged two minutes later with her face scrubbed pink and her hair damp and combed. She pulled clothes out of her wardrobe and then undergarments out of her displaced dresser.

Mako scratched his neck. "Uh... I'm gonna head down there," he said. "Unless you want me to wait for you?"

"No, I'll be okay," she said.

"Are you sure?"

"I'd like to be alone for a few minutes," Asami said. "Tell them to start without me. You can get me up to speed later."

"Oh." He straightened. "Right. I'll see you down there."

Mako trudged downstairs, closing the bedroom door behind him. The others were all eating breakfast when he reached the kitchen.

"Asami said to start without her," Mako said. "I'll catch her up if necessary."

"All right!" Varrick jumped onto his feet. "Mako! Call the station and quit your day job. I'm hiring you as personal security for Asami!"

"What? Why?" Mako asked. "And why me?"

"Because you're invested!" Varrick said. "You didn't think we'd let Asami be bait without hiring someone to keep her safe, did you?"

"I don't think I'm the right person," Mako said.

"Nonsense! Of course you are!"

"But I couldn't keep her safe last night."

"Only because the mooks you hired double-crossed you. Do really you want to hire someone else who can be swayed by money?"

Mako sighed. "No."

"Great! Then it's settled. You'll protect Asami until the plan is over. And maybe for a few days afterward, just in case…"

"What if I fall asleep?" Mako interjected. "I can only stay awake for three, maybe four days tops. And even then, I'm not sure I can do a very good job after the first day."

"Well, we'll also hire Bolin, then," Varrick said.

"Me?" Bolin asked with his mouth full.

"Yeah! You'll be Mako's relief. But if all goes to plan, Asami won't need round-the-clock protection after the next day or so."

Asami walked into the kitchen, wearing perfectly polished black pumps and her sharpest skirt and jacket. Every button was fastened, and her red scarf was tucked neatly into her collar. Mako wouldn't have guessed she was covering up bruises and "love bites" if he hadn't seen them moments before.

"Asami!" Bolin jumped up and rushed toward her, stopping himself from hugging her at the last minute. "We're going to be your bodyguards! And I'm an even better bodyguard than I am an assistant!"

"That's great," Asami said. "You know I can't afford to pay you, though, right?."

"I'm paying them," Varrick said. "And I'll pay the other price we talked about too, too."

Asami nodded. Her face was expressionless, a blank canvas for her red lips and perfect eyeliner. Her arms were folded protectively over her chest.

"Now, that just leaves the matter of which triad to frame," Varrick said. "Any ideas?"

"I think Asami should get to pick," Mako said. "Asami, any preference-"

"The Agni Kais," Asami said immediately.

"Now, just a second," Varrick said. "Just because we only have a firebender doesn't mean we have to go with a firebending triad. In fact, we might even be better off with a less obvious triad. I've been working on a water-freezing machine-"

"The Agni Kais killed my mother," Asami said. "If there's one gang I know deserves to be framed for murder, it's them."

Mako and Varrick exchanged looks and shrugged.

"The Agni Kais it is, then!" Varrick said.

"Do we need to figure out anything else?" Asami asked. "I have some business to take care of with the household employees if not."

"No, we're good," Varrick said. "Zhu Li! Get me dressed so I can go do the thing!"

Asami left on Varrick's heels, but she returned a few minutes later with a few servants in tow. She poured herself another cup of tea as the rest of her workers filed inside the kitchen in twos and threes. After a lone maid rushed in, panting and flushed, Asami set her teacup on the table. She unfolded her arms and put her hands on her hips, awkwardly, like she was forcing herself to do the movement that normally came so naturally to her.

"Good morning," she said. "I'm sorry if I alarmed any of you. I wanted to let you know that I'm going to be putting the estate up for sale in the next few days."

Mako and Bolin exchanged glances. As the servants murmured, Asami raised her hand.

"This doesn't necessarily mean anyone will lose their job!" she said. "I promise, all of you are my top priority. I'll keep paying your salaries until I have nothing left, and I'll try to sell the house to someone who will keep you on. But I understand that I'm putting you all in an uncertain predicament, and I won't be offended if you take jobs elsewhere."

She picked up her cup again, and her butler rushed over to her.

"Ms. Sato... _Asami_, I've known you your entire life-"

"I know."

"So please tell me what is going on!"

"I can't keep the company afloat anymore," Asami said. "I'm going to use the funds I get from selling the house on one last-ditch effort. It doesn't matter, anyway. Nothing matters anymore." She took a quick drink of tea, set the cup on the table, and walked away from the clamoring servants.

Mako scrambled after Asami. Bolin stuffed a pastry into his mouth and then followed both of them.

Asami sat at her father's desk without speaking for at least a solid hour. For every one minute of actual work she did, she spent another seven or eight staring out the windows or tracing the wood grain with her fingers. Bolin tried twice to speak up, but Mako glared at him until the talking stopped. Bolin finally left to "check for prowlers," leaving the study in peace.

"Mako, I don't think I can-" Asami pressed her fingers into the corners of her eyes, unable to speak anymore. She took a deep, staccato breath, and when she blew it out, she'd composed herself.

Mako took her cold hands in his, trying to warm them. They sat like that until Varrick burst into the office a half hour later.

"Asami!" he yelled. "What's this about you selling your house?"

She frowned. "I have to. I'm bankrupt. It's my only chance to save the company."

"Listen, Asami, don't sell your house," Varrick said. "I'll make sure Future Industries has all the capital it needs for a relaunch. I'll write you a check for whatever your estate is worth."

"You want a controlling interest in the company?"

"No, no!" Varrick's cheeks were pink, perhaps from running up the stairs. "I don't want that. How about a loan? You can pay me back someday when you're wildly successful!"

"I can't guarantee I'll even be slightly successful."

"Great! Then it's a gift!"

"Why?" Asami's eyes narrowed. "Why would you give me that kind of cash?"

"Because I'm stupid with my money!" Varrick said. "I don't know! Maybe I just like rooting for the ostrich horse in last place. Are you going to take my money or not? Because if you don't, I'm investing big in radio for pets! And between you and me, I trust you a lot more than the koala dog I put in charge of that project." Seeing their expression, Varrick paused. "My manager is literally a koala dog," he said. "Come on, Asami, help me make a smart investment here!"

Asami sighed. "All right."

"Great!" Varrick said. "Now you don't have to pack, and I have a place to crash indefinitely while I'm visiting Republic City. Let me tell you, I got a nasty fungus the last time I stayed in a hotel. Now the other thing... let me think. Zhu Li! What was the other thing?"

"The plan, sir."

"Oh! Right." Varrick crossed his arms. "The thing is on for tonight. Let me show you how to work the gas diffusers."

o0o0o

No one slept that night. Under pretenses of fumigating the estate, Asami used Varrick's credit to put all the servants up in hotel rooms. Bolin set up a sleeping bag in Asami's walk-in closet, and Varrick and Zhu Li occupied the room adjacent to Asami's. Mako and Asami lay in her canopied bed together, neither sleeping nor doing anything else.

Mako was rubbing Asami's back and actually starting to drift off when she grabbed his arm.

"Mako, they're in the house!" She gripped him so hard her nails left welts in his skin.

He held his breath and listened. Sure enough, the tinkling of broken glass drifted up the stairs.

"I have to go," he whispered, grabbing the remote trigger for the canister in the light fixture.

"No, wait!"

"We won't let them hurt you," Mako said. "Just try to hold your breath as long as possible."

She didn't answer, and she didn't let go of him. Mako pulled his arm away and ducked into the bathroom just as the bedroom door flew open. He crossed his fingers that Bolin wouldn't do anything stupid in the closet.

"Hey, sweetheart," Viper said from the other room. "Remember us?"

Asami was silent.

"What's the matter, babe?" Shady Shin asked. "Cat got your tongue?"

"What do you want?" Asami asked.

"We're here to steal all those patents and blueprints you got. But our employer told us we could help ourselves to whatever we wanted along the way, and you happen to be along the way."

"No, please don't hurt me again! Just take whatever you want and leave me alone. I can't handle all five of you again!"

Five. That was the signal that all the Triple Threats from yesterday were in the room. Mako pressed the button and strapped his respirator over his face.

"What the-?" Viper sounded alarmed. "It's some kind of gas!"

"Hold your breath!"

Mako counted to ten and then rushed into the room. He stepped over the twitching bodies to reach Asami, who had collapsed against her pillow. Mako moved her limp hand from her mouth and nose and brushed her hair out of the way. He secured her respirator on her face and pulled the straps snug.

"You can come out now, Bolin," he called, his voice muffled.

Bolin's masked face peeked out of the closet. "Are they all knocked out?"

"Yup."

Bolin jumped up and helped Mako cuff the Triple Threats' hands and feet. Varrick popped his head into the bedroom, his face covered by a full gas mask.

"Did it work?" he asked.

"Looks like it," Mako said.

"Zhu Li!" Varrick shouted. "Do the thing."

Zhu Li, wearing a mask like Varrick's, rushed into the bedroom and snapped more platinum cuffs onto the remaining gangsters.

"That's all of them, sir," she said. "Should I start carrying them down to the tunnel?"

"Sure, go ahead."

Mako knelt to help Zhu Li, but she surprised him by tossing two of the guys over her shoulder and dragging Viper down the stairs by his feet. They could hear his head thumping against each stair. Bolin snorted with laughter.

"Oh, that Zhu Li," he said. "She cracks me up sometimes."

"I guess we'll just get these two guys, then," Mako said.

Asami groaned and rubbed her forehead.

"I've got them." Bolin heaved them onto his back. "I'll just... toss them down the stairs or something. You should stay with Asami."

Asami sat up, and Mako joined her in the bed.

"Did it work?" she asked.

"We got them," Mako said. "Bolin and Zhu Li are carrying them to your father's secret tunnel."

There was a loud series of rapidfire thuds from the direction of the staircase. "Oops!" Bolin yelled. "My bad. These guys were going to die anyway, right? Oh, wait, they're still alive. Never mind!"

Mako helped Asami stand. She threw her nightgown over her head, revealing the blouse and trousers she'd donned before bed. She stepped into her boots and pulled her jacket on as she exited the bedroom. Mako and Varrick followed her, stripping off their respirators along the way.

Zhu Li and Bolin had tied the Triple Threats to each other, making bending impossible for anyone who didn't want to seriously hurt their friends. Asami bent over and frowned at their unconscious bodies.

"When will they wake up?" she asked.

Shady Shin groaned in response, making her jump backward.

"So... what are we going to do with them?" Bolin asked. "Punch them until they talk?"

"Maybe we should take them into separate rooms and torture them individually," Mako said. "Divide and conquer."

"Or maybe they'll be more likely to talk if their friends are being tortured in front of them." Asami picked up a small blowtorch.

"Um, okay, wow," Bolin said. "Asami, are you feeling... yourself? That wasn't some kind of supervillain gas, was it?"

"You have no idea what these men did to us." Asami tested the blowtorch on the air. "It's hard to think of a torture they don't deserve."

"Okay, well..." Bolin scratched the back of his neck. "I'm kind of scared now. Maybe I'll just go... elsewhere... until you need me."

"Fine, go," Mako said. "We've got this."

Viper coughed and opened his eyes just in time to see Bolin leaving.

"What is this?" he demanded. "Mako?"

"Be quiet," Mako said. "We're the ones asking the questions. Who hired you to keep us distracted?"

Viper just grinned at Mako, who punched him in the mouth. Viper laughed and spat out a tooth. Given the new gap Mako's tongue couldn't stop probing, the whole thing was pretty satisfying. Mako slinked back to Asami's side to wait for the other Triple Threats to wake up.

Ten minutes later, the gangsters were all squinting into the bright lights Zhu Li had set up. Asami knelt in front of the waterbender who had teased her so mercilessly about getting pregnant.

"Who hired you?" she asked.

He sneered at her. "I don't know, doll."

Asami brandished the blowtorch. "I don't suppose this jogs your memory any?"

"Yeah, a little bit," he said. "I just remembered that I'm hungry. Go make me a sandwich, sweetheart."

Asami let the flames lick the waterbender's face, scowling in concentration as he shrieked like a child.

"I don't want to hurt you," she said, very calmly and sweetly. "Tell me who hired you so I can stop."

"I don't know!" he screamed. "I don't know! I swear I don't know, you crazy bitch!"

Asami turned off the blowtorch and straightened. She walked in a circle around the gangsters, and then she turned and walked the other way. None of them could maintain eye contact with her for more than a few seconds.

"What's happening?" Ping asked, half-opening one eye. "Where am I?"

Mako held a fire dagger in front of Ping's face. "Who hired you for yesterday's job?"

"Mako?" Ping asked incredulously. "I thought you was Mr. Law and Order! Did you kidnap us?"

"Answer the question!" Mako burned Ping's neck until the skin turned pink and blistered.

"We don't know!" Ping squealed. "It was anonymous!

Mako pulled off Ping's boots. "Asami?" he asked. "Would you care to do the honors, or should I?"

Asami picked up a huge pair of hedge clippers and opened and closed them a few times.

"No, no, I swear I don't know!" Ping yelped. "You've gotta believe me! We never met the guy who hired us!"

"You expect us to believe that?" Mako demanded.

"After you left the hideout, some mook showed up and said his boss would pay us to keep you distracted," Ping said. "We'd never seen him before, and we ain't seen him since. Come on, Mako, you know how these deals work. Please, I would never lie to you with my lucky toes on the line."

Mako glanced at Asami. "What do you think?"

"Is that how deals usually go down?" Asami asked.

"Usually."

Asami frowned. "I guess that's all we'll get out of them, then. We can go ahead and dispose of them."

"Dispose of?" Shady Shin asked. "You ain't gonna question all of us?"

"What's the point?" Asami asked. "Would you tell us anything different?"

He shrugged. "Nothing different to tell."

"I didn't think so," Asami said. "Which one should we start with?"

"You should be the one to do it," Mako said. "If you want to, I mean." He pressed a knife into her hands.

Asami hesitated, staring down at the blade.

"Do you want the blowtorch?"

"I don't know if I can do this," she said. "I've never killed anyone before. Especially not in cold blood."

"Do you want me to do the first one for you?"

She nodded.

"Which one?"

Asami pointed to the waterbender whose name Mako had never learned. Mako was a little surprised; he'd thought she'd pick Viper, who'd taken the first turn, or maybe the earthbender who'd made her bleed so much and then kept going even while Asami threw up from the pain. Even Shady Shin might have made sense, since he'd choked her and threatened her into complying. The waterbender had only taunted Asami a little, and he hadn't even lasted long once she'd started crying. But it was her choice, so Mako knelt in front of the waterbender and bared his teeth at the rapist.

"How do you want me to do it?" he asked.

"I don't know," Asami said. "However you want."

"Okay," he said. "You should stand back so you don't get blood on your clothes."

Asami took two steps back and watched with folded arms, the knife pinched between her index finger and thumb. Mako grabbed the waterbender's hair and punched him in the face. The sting made Mako feel awake, alive. He punched the waterbender in the gut and glanced up at Asami for approval.

"Kick him in the groin for me, please," Asami said. "If you wouldn't mind."

Mako grinned coldly and did as Asami had asked. The crunches and howls finally drowned out the memory of Asami's sobs. He was finally protecting her, getting her justice. Repairing his injured pride was just a nice bonus. He finally stopped kicking the waterbender and checked for a pulse. He couldn't find one.

"Well?" Mako wiped his bloody fist on his shirt. "Does anybody remember anything else?"

"You're crazy!" Ping wailed. "What kind of cop are you?"

"Apparently, I'm just a normal Republic City cop," Mako said. "Who's next, Asami?"

She pointed to the earthbender who'd made her scream like she was dying. It took Mako significantly longer to punch and kick the second gangster to death, but a euphoric adrenaline was starting to take over. He moved right on to Viper at Asami's command, followed by Shady Shin. Each punch erased a little more of the helplessness of watching them on top of Asami, the awfulness of knowing he'd handed her over to them.

When only Ping was left, Mako stretched and cracked his neck like he was back in the pro-bending ring.

"Last one," he remarked, slamming his foot into Ping's side.

"Wait! Asami, please! Have mercy!" Ping tried to shield himself from Mako's kick. "Please, pretty lady, pretty Asami, please don't let him kill me! I made you feel good, right? I kissed you and licked you and rubbed your feet, didn't I? Please, Asami, you know they would've killed me if I hadn't done it! Remember when I tried to stop and they wouldn't let me? Please, please..."

Mako growled, but Asami held her hand up.

"Hold on, Mako. I'll hear him out."

"Oh good, oh thank you!" Ping gasped in relief. "Thank you, beautiful Asami, thank you so much."

"Not so fast," Asami said. "I haven't made up my mind yet."

"Asami, we have to kill him," Mako said. "If we let him go now, he'll tell the rest of the Triple Threats. Or the police. Either way, we'll be in major trouble."

Asami ignored him. "Ping, tell me the truth. Have you ever 'made love' to someone who didn't want you to?"

"No, never!" Ping cried. "I swear on my lucky toes! You gotta believe me! And I would never, ever do that to anyone unless I had no choice. Or unless it was Avatar Korra. But she's so strong and muscular... that would never happen. Unless she was all wrapped up in a pretty little package, the way you were, with someone spreading her perfect brown legs apart for me-"

Asami twirled her knife around her gloved fingers, and then she unexpectedly plunged the blade into Ping's groin. Mako watched, too shocked to stop her. He didn't even know if he wanted to stop her.

"You know," she said over Ping's gulps, "I'm starting to have less of a problem with killing vermin." She took a deep breath and stabbed Ping in the heart. She left the blade there and wrinkled her nose at the blood covering her fingers.

"Here." Mako ripped the sleeve off of Shady Shin's jacket and wiped Asami's hand clean.

"That was some show," Varrick remarked. "Have some tea, you cold-blooded killers, you."

Mako declined, still too full of adrenaline to eat or drink anything. Zhu Li placed a teacup in Asami's hands, and Asami stared at it like it had fallen from space.

"Are you okay?" Mako asked her.

She shrugged.

"You feel safer, though, right?" Mako asked. "You're glad we got those guys off the street, aren't you?"

Asami nodded.

"We did a good thing," he assured her. "_You_ did a good thing."

She stared past him at the pile of corpses. "Should we get rid of the bodies now?"

"Oh, don't worry about that," Varrick said. "Zhu Li's got it under wraps. We found a spot that's just perfect for burning them. No one will find them for weeks."

"What else do I need to do?" Asami asked.

"Nothing," Varrick said. "Relax! Enjoy your tea! Take a bubble bath and listen to a radio show! Everything's all taken care of."

"Are you sure?" Asami asked.

"Of course I'm sure!" Varrick said. "Take the rest of the week off, and we'll talk business when you're feeling better. In the mean time, I'll handle any expenses that come up."

"Thank you," Asami said. "I'm really grateful. I promise I'll pay you back, if I can."

Varrick waved his hand. "We'll worry about that later. Go! Rest! Do something besides standing there! You're starting to freak me out."

Asami set her blood-streaked teacup on the table and walked upstairs. Mako followed her in silence to her bedroom. She turned on the radio but made no move to undress or take her makeup off. She didn't even take her gloves off. She just stared out her windows, peering out at the dark estate grounds.

"You should shower," she remarked without looking in Mako's direction.

Mako glanced down. He was covered in blood splatters and something he couldn't identify. He grimaced.

"We should both clean up," he said. "And burn our clothes, probably."

Asami threw her gloves on the tile bathroom floor. The rest of her clothes followed a moment later.

"I'm going to lie down," Asami said. "You can sleep in my bed again, if you want."

Mako nodded. As soon as she closed the door, he crumpled his clothes into a ball and showered. As he toweled off, he unfolded the freshly laundered pants he'd left on the bathroom floor that morning.

Asami was curled under her blanket when Mako emerged from the bathroom. He toweled his hair one last time and then climbed in behind her, too exhausted to worry about anything else. He raised his arm to put it over her side, but decided it might startle her. Instead, he fluffed up his pillow and tucked it between his cheek and his shoulder.

He was almost asleep when he heard the sniff. He raised his head off the pillow and leaned over Asami. She wiped her wet face on her sheet and pulled the covers up to her forehead.

"What's wrong?" he asked. "Don't you feel better?"

"No," she said into the blanket. "I feel even worse than before!"

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"No, I just… I want to be left alone."

"Do you want me to go? Sleep in my own room?"

She was quiet for a moment, and then, "Not really."

"Okay…"

"Just hold me and pretend like you're asleep, all right?"

"Sure."

Mako knew she was more like him when it came to expressing her emotions: private. Korra and Bolin might have had no problem weeping in front of strangers, but Asami had never been one to show much in front of others. So Mako held her and silently listened to her cry, wishing all the while that she'd let him make it better. Not that he could, most of the time. Her mind worked too fast for him to keep up with, overanalyzing everything in her life.

She finally stopped crying and cleared her throat. "I think I do want to talk about it, if that's all right."

Cold dread filled Mako's stomach, but he patted her arm anyway. "Of course."

"Last night, it felt like they'd invaded every part of me," she said, her voice steady. "I couldn't imagine feeling more violated."

Mako didn't know what to say, so he kept his mouth shut and patted her arm instead.

"But tonight…" Asami's voice wavered. "They violated even more of me, places I didn't even know I had. And it's worse, in some ways, because I did it to myself. I feel like I took that knife and drove it right into my own stomach."

"I'm sorry," Mako said. "I should have just killed them myself. I should never have gotten you involved or used you as bait or made you watch."

"No, I wanted to do all of that," Asami said. "I thought it would make me feel better, but I feel so much worse. I feel sick. I wish I'd never made you do any of this."

"What can I do to help?" Mako asked. "Tell me how to fix it."

"I don't think I can sleep here tonight. Not in the same bed they grabbed me from, or in the same home where I… where we killed them."

"Do you want to go to my place?" Mako asked.

"Right now?"

"You have cars. It's not like there's a curfew."

"I guess so, then," Asami said. "Bolin won't mind us invading his space?"

"He moved out," Mako said. "Got his own place a while back."

"Oh. I didn't realize."

"So do you want to go or not?"

"Just let me pack a bag."

She ended up packing three bags, a hat box, and a briefcase. She also grabbed her father's ledger and calendar on the way out the door. Twenty minutes later, Mako dumped her belongings on the floor of his tiny apartment and stretched his sore muscles. She sat down on the sofa with the calendar, the ledger, and a handful of pens.

Mako stifled a yawn. "Don't you want to go to bed?"

"I'm not sleepy," she said. "But please, don't let me keep you up! You must be worn out."

He was, but he was reluctant to leave her all the same. "I can stay up with you."

"I'll be fine," Asami said. "Why don't you take a nap and then sit with me for a while?"

"Okay," he agreed. "Maybe just an hour."

When he woke up, his curtain were outlined with bright pink. Mako groaned and returned to the living room.

"Why didn't you wake me?" he demanded.

Asami looked up like she was snapping out of a trance. "What time is it?"

"Morning," Mako said.

"Sorry, I got distracted," she said.

"With what?" Mako snuck a peek at the X's and question marks on the calendar she was holding.

"Girl stuff," she answered.

"Will you please come to bed?" Mako asked. "You're scaring me. I'm worried you're going to drop from exhaustion soon. Let's go lie down."

"Fine, if you insist," she said. "But I doubt I'll sleep."

He'd expected to sleep better with her in his arms, but they both tossed and turned for ages. The light under the curtain grew brighter. Asami sighed.

"Why can't we sleep?" he asked. "Maybe we should do something to get sleepy."

He was trying to remember how much calming tea he had left when Asami rolled over and kissed him on the lips. Her fingers teased the trail of hair that led from his navel to his pants.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"Making myself sleepy," she said.

"Huh?" he asked, more due to shock than a problem hearing her.

"I want you to be sweet and gentle with me, just like old times. I want to make new memories to flood out the bad ones. I need to, Mako."

"Really?" he asked. "I didn't think you'd be ready for that stuff yet."

Truthfully, he was the one who wasn't ready.

"No, I'm ready," she insisted. "I'm ready to stop associating it with bad memories. I'm scared if I don't do this now, I won't be able to do it at all. Please, Mako?"

He took a deep breath and stared into her eyes. She was so beautiful, even without her makeup on, that he couldn't help but do whatever she asked. He caressed the back of her head and kissed her on the lips again.

She pushed his pants out of the way and wrapped her hand around him. He hardened shamefully fast at her touch. She nibbled his lower lip.

"Asami..." he began, but he forgot the rest of his protest.

She kissed him more deeply, guiding him inside her. It was just as thrilling as their first time. Somehow, though, this was scarier than losing his virginity to the pretty, more-experienced girl who'd just given him thirty thousand yuans. His emotions were too close to the surface. He wanted to make her stop, but he wanted even more to make her happy.

"Do you want me to take my nightgown off?" she asked.

"If you want to."

She bunched up the satin and lace in her fist, lifting it so that he could just see the underside of her breasts. Mako throbbed inside her at the sight.

"Are you sure this is okay?" he asked.

"It feels amazing," she assured him.

He almost believed her.

"Why are you really doing this?"

She went still on top of him. "I'll stop if you want me to."

"No, Asami, I- it's not that," he lied. "I'm just trying to figure out why you're doing this."

"Do I have to have some sinister motive?" Asami asked. "Maybe I want to thank you for taking such good care of me."

"Really?" he asked.

"You've been so sweet to me the past couple of days," she said. "I appreciate you, and I want to make you feel as good as you've made me feel."

"You don't have to," he said.

"I know," she replied. "I want to, though."

"Great," he said.

"Great."

She started moving again, making a little noise that could be interpreted as either pain or pleasure.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"Yes. I'm… I'm great. It feels good. Really."

Her expression faltered for just a second, revealing a grimace. Mako felt even more disgusted with himself than he had after his violent dream that morning. He pushed her off him as gently as he could.

"What are you doing?" she asked. "Mako?"

"I can't do this," he said.

"What? Why not?"

"I just can't." He stood up, pulling his pants up. "I'm going to shower."

Asami followed him into the bathroom. "Mako, this is your fourth shower in two days."

"I know."

"Will you please tell me what's wrong?"

He ignored her and turned on the water. She leaned against the bathroom wall, watching him strip and step into the tub.

"Mako."

"I don't want to talk about it."

"Fine."

She didn't leave.

He sniffed her fancy soaps, trying to find one that didn't smell like food or flowers.

"I think I know what it is," Asami said.

"Huh?" He poured a neutral-smelling soap into his hands and worked up a good lather.

"I understand," she said. "I don't blame you."

"For what?"

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have assumed that you were all right with it. I didn't even stop to think that you might be… repulsed by me after what they did to me."

"What? No, Asami-"

"It's all right," she said. "I'm repulsed by myself too. I wouldn't want to be intimate with myself so soon after the vile things they did to me. I shouldn't have forced myself on you like that. I'm so sorry. I wasn't thinking."

Soap dripped into Mako's eye, making him wince and duck his head under the spray. "Asami, that's not it at all! Give me a second to wash the soap out of my eyes, and we can-"

There was a loud knock on his front door.

"Police!" Chief Beifong bellowed. "Open up!"

"Great," Mako said. "Just what I need."

"Mako!" Beifong shouted. "If you don't open this door immediately, I'm kicking it down!"

"I've got it," Asami said, closing the bathroom door behind her as she left.

A moment later, Mako heard Chief Beifong's voice inside the apartment. "Asami? I certainly wasn't expecting to find you here. Especially not so early."

"I'm a bit of a morning bird."

"Hm. But I'm guessing you didn't wander over here in your nightgown. Where's Mako?"

"In the shower."

"Is he planning on coming into work today? It's not like him to skip work, especially without calling. When he didn't show up yesterday or this morning, I got worried."

Mako swore under his breath. How could he have forgotten to call Beifong?

"I don't know," Asami said. "I thought he was taking some time off."

"This is the first I've heard of it. What happened to your mouth?"

"Oh! I... uh..."

"Did Mako do that to you?"

"No! Of course not."

"Who, then?"

"No one," Asami insisted. "It was an accident."

"I may not have my mother's lie-detecting skills, but I've been on the force long enough to recognize certain things. Who hurt you?"

"I... I really don't want to talk about it. Sorry, Chief Beifong. I know you're just trying to help."

"I'm guessing your mysterious injuries have something to do with why my beat cop's been missing?"

"It's my fault. I asked him to be my bodyguard for a few days," Asami said. "I didn't realize he hadn't told you. I know I could have gone to the police for protection, but... "

Mako turned off the water and toweled off, being careful with his sore ribs and eye.

"It's okay," Beifong said. "I understand why you didn't come to the police."

"You do?"

"We don't have the best reputation for putting away certain types of criminals," Beifong said. "And the ones we do apprehend usually get off with a slap on the wrist, if that."

"I was afraid the police wouldn't be able to help us," Asami said. "We… we didn't see the attackers' faces. They all wore masks."

Mako paused in his drying off. Asami was lying to the chief of police?

"All?" Beifong asked.

"Yes. There was a whole group of them, a half dozen or so. Mako and I were walking to dinner together, and… well... it started out as a mugging, but then one of them recognized Mako as a cop, so they- they decided to make him pay. And they thought I was his girlfriend, so… they..." Asami trailed off.

"Trust me, you're not the first, and you won't be the last." Beifong sounded crankier than usual. "It probably wasn't a mugging at all, but rather an initiation ritual. You should report it anyway. I take triad violence against my officers and their loved ones very seriously. You might be able to identify them based on things other than their faces. If you report it, I'll do everything in my power to make sure you get some justice."

"Thank you, but Mako doesn't want Lu and Gang making me feel worse, and I don't want the papers to drag me or my company through the mud."

Even through the bathroom door, Mako could hear Chief Beifong sigh. "Unfortunately, you're probably right," she said. "The newspapers would have a field day if they found out. Still, if you change your mind, I'll personally oversee your case. You can give your statement directly to me, not my detectives. Just think about it."

"Thank you," Asami said. "I will."

Mako pulled on his pants from earlier and opened the bathroom door, wishing he'd brought a shirt into the bathroom.

"Uh, hi Chief," he said.

"You look like death's leftovers," Beifong said. "Have you seen a healer?"

"Yesterday," Mako said.

"Well, you should see another one," Beifong said. "I've seen sky bison smaller than those bruises on your sides."

"Thanks, I'll take it under consideration," Mako said. "Sorry for not calling the station. I can't believe I forgot. My head hasn't been screwed on straight the past few days."

"It's okay," Beifong said. "I'll put you on medical leave. Take as much time as you need."

"Thanks, Chief."

"No vigilantism, Mako," Beifong warned him. "If I find out you've been murdering triad members…"

Mako's lungs felt like they were collapsing. "No, Chief. Of course not."

"All right then. I'll leave you two to your business. Remember what I said, Asami."

"Thanks. I will."

"I wish both of you a speedy recovery," Beifong said curtly.

She left, and Mako locked the door behind her.

"You're not filing a report, right?" Mako asked.

"No way," Asami said. "Now can we please finish talking about what just happened?"

"With the chief?"

"No. Before that."

"Oh."

Mako sat down on the couch. Asami joined him, keeping her distance. He could feel her shaking through the cushions. He wanted to hug her, but he decided to play it safe and just hold her hand instead.

"I don't think you're repulsive," Mako said. "Just... the whole time, all I could think about was you faking with Ping so they wouldn't kill me. It made me feel sick. Not- _you_ don't make me sick! That's not... okay, what I'm trying to say is... It's great you're ready. I'm glad the healer wasn't completely useless. But maybe I'm not as ready as you are. Can we try again in a few weeks, when we're both healed a little more?"

He'd expected Asami to look crushed, but instead she looked relieved. It was like he'd taken some burden off her, or maybe he'd made some terrible choice for her.

"Yes, of course," she said. "I'm so sorry for pressuring you."

"Don't be," he said. "How often have I ever said no? But watching them hurt you really messed me up. I think we both need time to heal, and not just physically."

"I know. You're right." She yawned and stretched. "Hey, I think the adrenaline of lying to the police is wearing off. I'm finally ready to try sleeping again. Are you awake for the day?"

"Only if you want the bed to yourself."

She shook her head and disappeared into the bedroom. This time, Mako fell asleep minutes after climbing into bed, his nose squished comfortably against Asami's shoulder.


	3. Chapter 3

It took Asami most of a week to get over her first kill. Or at least, it was half a week before she could talk about it at all, and it was another two days before she could look Mako in the eye while talking about it. Mako would have been fine with never discussing it at all, but Asami seemed determined to torture him by periodically turning off the radio, taking his hand, and asking things like, "We only did it to protect people, didn't we?" or "We had no choice, right?" or worst of all, "Mako, you'd tell me if I was becoming too much like my father, wouldn't you?"

Mako quickly learned that the best way to respond to those questions was to nod and answer in the affirmative. Any other response guaranteed a long discussion, a quivering lower lip, and sometimes (worst of all), a crying spell that Mako couldn't stop. However, if he just patted her back and let her worry aloud for long enough, she always eventually concluded that she was a decent person. Mako cared about being a decent person about as much as he cared about paying parking tickets. But he did care about her, so he always nodded and feigned a contemplative expression when she spoke.

The next two or three weeks drifted into a comforting routine of food, paperwork, showers, and sleep. Bolin dropped by every few days to check on them and bring groceries, so Mako and Asami rarely even bothered putting on real clothes, except for the days Asami got the urge to go home and swap her wardrobe or her mail. Most days, they simply changed into fresh pajamas and underclothes every time they showered. Mako's bathroom now housed porous rocks, perfumed sand, dozens of bottles of soap, and drying undergarments in several shades of white and pink. Most alarming, however, were the spidery clumps of long black hair Mako regularly had to plunge his arm into soapy, stagnant water to fish out of the drain. Asami seemed oblivious to the havoc her stray hairs were wreaking.

Things were blissfully boring, other than the regular nightmares that plagued both of them. The day of Bolin's big premiere, Asami's groaning woke Mako from a rare dreamless sleep. He shook her until she opened her eyes.

"I had the most awful dream," she gasped, rolling up against his chest and hiding her face in his neck.

"What, did we get arrested again?" Mako asked.

"No! Worse!"

"Oh." Mako braced himself. "Was it the ship?"

"Yes, and I was one of the Triple Threats and I- I hurt Korra! I held her down and did to her all the terrible things they did to me! I feel so horrible. What does it mean?"

"It doesn't mean anything," Mako said. "It was just a dream. You probably had it because you rolled onto your back. You always have nightmares when you sleep on your back."

"But it was so vivid," Asami went on. "I mean, of course I've thought about kissing Korra and… you know. Everyone has, surely! But not like that. I would never hurt Korra in real life. Right? Or does this dream mean I'm just as bad deep down as the Triple Threats?"

"Don't be stupid," Mako snapped. "You know you're not."

Asami's center of gravity recoiled away from him. Mako sighed. He hadn't meant to sound so hostile, but it was a touchy subject for him. If dreams could turn someone into a rapist, Mako was already way guiltier than Asami.

"Look," he said, "everyone dreams about doing terrible things they'd never actually do. It doesn't mean anything. It's just a dream. You're one of Korra's best friends. You wouldn't even think about Korra if she asked you not to. Okay? Stop worrying. You're the least evil person I've ever met."

She kissed him on the nose.

"You're sweet. Thank you. I'm sorry for being so… needy. I really appreciate you listening to me, even when I'm being irrational."

"It's fine."

Even as Mako said it, he knew it was the wrong thing to say. He probably should have told her she wasn't needy or irrational. He didn't think she was either, and he hadn't meant to imply he felt that way. But by the time he finished thinking all of that, the moment had passed, and it would have been more awkward to say something else.

"I'll make you breakfast," he said. "Is your stomach still bothering you?"

She nodded. He pulled on his undershirt and went to work making her the best ginger citrus congee in Republic City. She watched from the doorway, her robe hanging off her shoulders and her messy hair somehow falling perfectly over her left arm. He was going to tell her that she looked absolutely radiant, alluring, stunning, gorgeous-every compliment he'd ever overheard while pickpocketing at fancy events-but then her beauty distracted him into burning his fingers on the pot. The cold water drove the words right out of his mind.

"Do you want chicken?" Mako asked, looking over his shoulder. "Or eggs, maybe?"

The suggestion made Asami swallow hard and press her hand to her stomach.

"Never mind." Mako grabbed the kettle and stuck it under the faucet. "I'll make you some of your fancy tea."

"You're great," Asami said. "Thank you for taking such good care of me."

A few moments later, Mako set a mug of raspberry leaf tea on the table next to Asami. She put her hand on top of his and batted her eyelashes at him.

"Mako?" she asked very sweetly.

He sighed and retrieved her calendar from its latest hiding place.

"I hate this part of the morning," he said.

"Which part?" she asked.

"The part where you look at your stupid calendar and get upset."

She frowned. "I don't do it _every_ morning."

"Yes, you do," he said. "At least for the past week or two. One of these days, the calendar is going to disappear forever, and you'll just have to be happy all morning."

"Oh, don't exaggerate," Asami said. "I'll prove that I don't get upset every single time." She opened the calendar, marked the current day with an X, and closed it again. "Done!" she said. "And I'm not upset in the least."

They both knew she was lying, but Mako didn't see what good it would do to point it out. Instead, he ladled her breakfast into a bowl and sat at the table with her while she ate. She went back to bed after breakfast, and Mako let her nap undisturbed until Varrick dropped by.

"Chin up, Asami!" Varrick said, stretching out on Mako's sofa. "You've gotta think positive! You'll be back out there kicking butt again in no time!"

Asami smiled politely, rubbing sleep out of her eyes. "Thanks, Varrick."

"Are you still coming to Bolin's dinner tonight?"

"I wouldn't dream of missing it," Asami assured him. "I'm so ready for things to get back to normal."

"Are you thinking about getting back to work?" Varrick asked.

"I'm seriously considering it," Asami said. "I might start tomorrow, if I'm not too exhausted. I really want to do more than sit around the apartment sketching concepts."

"Well, no pressure, but I've got a lot of good ideas for Future Industries," Varrick said. "I've already lined up a dozen buyers. All you have to do is tweak your prototypes and churn out the goods. I left it all on your desk at your house."

"Thanks," Asami said. "So we'll meet you tonight at six?"

"Oh, no," Varrick said. "I almost forgot to tell you! We decided to have the dinner earlier. We've gotta be able to fit into our fancy clothes, and that means we need at least four hours to digest! The car will pick you up at three-thirty."

"Three-thirty?" Asami jumped onto her feet. "That's only two hours from now!"

"I know!" Varrick said. "I should probably get going. Zhu Li's got at least an hour of foot scrubbing ahead of her!"

Varrick left, and Asami spent the next hour and a half running around the apartment in various stages of dress. Mako simply put on his clothes and read a book until she announced she was finally done with the bathroom. He was five seconds into wetting and combing his hair when she burst in, grabbed a bag from the counter, and disappeared again. She ended up putting on her lipstick with help from her tiny mirror in the back of the long Satomobile while they waited for Bolin.

"Okay, Nuktuk is here!" Bolin shouted, diving through the drizzle and rocking the vehicle violently as he entered it.

Asami used her finger to dab away a bit of smudged lipstick. The chauffeur shut the door, and the car pulled away from the apartment building.

"Wow, you look really great, Asami!" Bolin said. "You too, Mako."

"Thanks," Asami said. "You know, Mako and I had our first date at Kwong's Cuisine. Remember, back when I hit him with my moped?"

"Oh yeah." Bolin chuckled. "Good times. Back when Mako was less broody."

Asami laughed along with him.

"Excuse me?" Mako grumbled, but it was hard to get annoyed watching the two of them laugh.

Kwong's was practically deserted-unsurprising, given how early their dinner was. Zhu Li met them just inside the door.

"We're dining in a private room on the fourth floor," Zhu Li said with a bow. "I'll show you there."

Bolin meandered behind her with his eyes anywhere but the ground. He practically swooned over the glass-and-gold elevator in the middle of the restaurant, and then he nearly bumped into several people and expensive pieces of art in his overstimulated state.

"Bolin, get a grip," Mako said after rescuing a third vase from impending gravity.

"Sorry! Everything is just so fancy! I've never been anywhere this fancy! Although I guess Asami's house comes pretty close."

Before Mako or Asami could answer, Varrick rushed up and started hugging and patting and kissing all of them.

"Glad you could make it!" he said, clapping Mako hard on the back. "Right this way."

The dinner party seemed to consist of the main cast of Varrick's mover, minus Roh-Tan and Juji. Bolin sat in the middle of the table, between Ginger and Asami and across from Varrick. Mako sat at the far end of the table, opposite an empty chair. Normally, he would have been irritated at being so far away from everyone else, but he didn't feel like talking much that day.

"Do you want to share the mushroom appetizer?" Asami asked. "It's my favorite."

"Sure," he said.

A waiter came by just then, standing by Mako's end of the table. "Is the party ready to order?" he asked, looking expectantly at Mako.

"Uhh..." Mako panicked, glancing down at the menu. Maybe he should get what he had last time. What was it called? Wait, no- it had shrimp and garlic and all kinds of things Asami couldn't bear to smell anymore. He handed over the menu. "I'll take whatever she's having," he said, nodding to Asami.

"Could I please have the roasted glazed mushrooms, the spicy tofu, and- what kinds of tea do you have?"

"Jasmine green, ginseng green, wulong, ginger white, plain black, plain white, plain green-"

"I'd like a pot of the ginger white tea, please," Asami cut the waiter off. "With some lemon slices and honey. Also, could all of my food please be strictly vegetarian, with no fetid vegetables?"

The waiter bowed. "Very good. And the rest of the table?"

A few minutes later, the tea and appetizers arrived. Asami kept her nose over her steaming teacup, wrinkling her nose as the rest of the table slurped down oysters and shrimp.

"Do you want to trade seats?" Mako asked.

"If you don't mind," she said.

"Of course not."

They swapped chairs, and the waiter returned with the mushrooms as Mako was awkwardly scooting his chair into the table. The waiter set the plate in front of Asami without comment.

Asami raised a bite of mushrooms to her lips, then quickly pulled it away and covered her mouth and nose with her napkin. "Oh! I think these mushrooms are bad."

"Really?" Mako pinched a bite with his chopsticks. He sniffed it, then stuck it in his mouth. "It tastes fine to me."

"You can't smell that?" Asami asked. "It smells like mildew."

"I think that's just what mushrooms smell like," Mako said. "Bolin, do these mushrooms taste okay to you?"

Bolin sniffed the plate and then grabbed a mushroom with his fingers. "Mmm," he said. "Delicious!"

"My nose must be off," Asami said. "Sorry."

"Do you mind if I finish these?" Bolin asked.

"Help yourself," Asami said.

Bolin proceeded to shovel two-thirds of the mushrooms into his mouth using a soup spoon. "Yum," he said with his mouth full. "This is really good. Mako, do you want any?"

"No thanks," Mako said. He was hungry, but he wasn't going to sit next to Asami and stuff his face with anything that made her sick to smell.

Asami leaned forward to see Bolin around Mako. "I hope you know I haven't been ignoring you," she said. "I've just been... really into my work recently."

"Oh, sure," Bolin said. "Don't worry, I haven't felt neglected at all. I mean, maybe a little, but I understand. How are you feeling? After the-"

Asami's eyes darted to Ginger. Mako kicked Bolin under the table.

"Ow!" Bolin frowned. "What was that for?"

"Later," Mako said under his breath. "Not in front of everyone here."

"Right, right," Bolin said. "Sorry."

Asami sipped her tea. "Bolin, how is Pabu?" she asked. "And Naga? I heard you're polarbeardog-sitting for Korra."

"Oh, they're great!" Bolin said, instantly cheering up. "They play this really super cute game where Pabu hides and Naga sniffs around until she finds him, and then..."

Mako tuned out the conversation happening on either side of him until the food arrived. Everything smelled even better than it looked. Mako leaned over his dish, inhaling the scents and appreciating the presentation. He glanced at Asami to see if she was as excited about eating a non-homemade meal as he was.

Asami, who had gone very white, was watching Varrick chomping away at his sushi. Her expression would have been appropriate only if he were eating live kittens.

"Are you okay?" Mako asked.

"That raw fish is so... overpowering," she said.

"You can smell the fish?" Mako asked, sniffing deeply. "Is it rotten?"

"No, I don't think so. It just-" She pressed the back of her hand over her mouth and nose and jumped up from her seat. "Excuse me."

"Is she okay?" Bolin asked as they watched her hurry toward the bathroom.

Mako shrugged. "She's been a little under the weather lately."

Bolin frowned, but Varrick pulled him back into the conversation on the other side of the table. By the time Asami returned, the raw fish had been consumed, and the waiters had taken the plates away. Mako pushed Asami's chair in for her and returned to his seat.

"I wish you two could come to the big premiere," Bolin around Mako. "I mean, I don't want you to come because some of the scenes might be a little intense for you, what with the tying people up, and the... well, I wish that you could come without getting scared or upset or- Oh, I don't know what I'm saying."

Asami smiled. "Thanks, Bolin. I appreciate you looking out for us. I wish we could come, too."

A band started playing in the nearby dining area, and the deep stringed notes echoed into the private room.

"Ooh! There's a band?" Bolin nearly came out of his seat as he strained to see through the stained glass windows. "There's dancing?! I want to dance! Only, does it have to be fancy dancing? I'm really more of a Camelephant Strut kind of guy. Who wants to dance with me? Ginger?"

Ginger huffed and crossed her arms. Bolin frowned.

"What?" he asked. "Did I say something wrong?"

"I'll dance with you, Bolin." Asami offered, standing up.

"Really?" Bolin grinned. "Even if I'm not very good at whatever dance they're doing?"

"I've seen you do this one in the practice room," Asami said, standing up. "I bet you didn't even know you were waltzing."

"Well, you would win big money on that bet!" Bolin said. "I don't even know what a waltz is."

"I'll show you," Asami laughed. "Mako would you hold my purse for me?"

He put the sparkly, beaded purse on his lap, guarding it with his napkin.

"Wait for me!" Bolin called.

Asami waited for him by the door to the banquet room, readjusting her pearl hair clip to keep her hair out of her face. Bolin scrambled past Mako's seat.

"Hey." Mako caught Bolin's arm. "Don't let anyone cut in," he said in an undertone. "This is the first time Asami's been out in public in three weeks. You stick close to her side. No one dances with Asami except you. Understand?"

Bolin saluted. "Nuktuk won't let her out of his sight! Or arms."

He ran up to Asami and offered her his muscular arm. Asami took it, and the two of them took to the dance floor, leaving the door open. Mako sat back and commandeered Asami's teacup, drinking from the non-lipsticked side and watching the doorway. He relaxed only when he could see Bolin and Asami through the narrow opening. Asami seemed to be having a good enough time, but Mako was ready to swoop in and make up an excuse to leave if she looked even a little bit upset.

"They sure look like they're having a good time out there." Varrick dropped into Asami's unoccupied seat.

"Yup," Mako agreed.

"Tell me honestly." Varrick leaned in. "How's Asami doing?"

"She's fine," Mako said.

"I mean, how is she really?" Varrick persisted. "Do you think she's going to be able to get that work done soon? I'm trying to help her out, but I can only stall for so long!"

"You'd have to ask her," Mako said. "If she says she's going to work tomorrow, then she's probably going to work tomorrow. The company is the most important thing in the world to Asami. She'll find a way to take care of things."

"Good, good." Varrick gulped some wine. "That's what I like to hear."

Down at the other end of the table, the cast members were getting drunk and rowdy. As a result, the jokes were getting louder and more offensive.

"What has eight legs and makes women scream?" someone asked.

"A koalapus!"

"A spiderbat?"

"No, a gang rape."

The room exploded with laughter.

"That's awful," Ginger said, struggling to keep a straight face.

"I know, I know. It's funny, though, right?"

Varrick glanced at the open door and then leaned toward the end of the table. "Statistically speaking," he said conspiratorially, "nine out of ten people enjoy a gang rape."

The cast laughed even harder at that. Mako crossed his arms and went back to staring at the dance floor until Bolin and Asami returned a few songs later. Their faces were slightly pink, and they were both laughing.

"That was fun," Asami said. "I told you you were an excellent dancer!"

"I guess I am!" Bolin pushed Asami's chair in for her with a gentlemanly flourish. "And so are you. Oh, I'll be right back! I want to check out the bathroom before I forget. I hope they have those fancy waterfall toilets."

Bolin ran off, just in time to miss another horrible joke.

"A gangster walks up to a nonbender gal and says, 'Lady, you're gonna get laid tonight,'" Unalaq's actor said. "So she says, 'How do you know? Are you psychic?' And he says, 'No, but me and my friends here are firebenders!'"

A waiter appeared to freshen Asami's tea. She thanked him over the roar of laughter and sipped from the cup, taking occasional bites of her now-cold food. She gave no sign that she could hear the conversation at the opposite end of the table. Mako kept glancing at her to make sure she was okay, but Asami stared off into the distance, holding her white mug in front of her lips.

Mako, on the other hand, was clenching his fists so hard his knuckles popped.

"What do firebenders do after sex?" asked one of the actors.

"Fifteen to life?" Ginger suggested dryly.

"No! Are you kidding me? This is Republic City. Nobody does time for that. They dump the body."

Ginger groaned. Mako looked down at his plate, smelling sweat and vomit and salt and waxed wooden decks instead of the food. The laughter turned into the Triple Threats'. Asami's crying and pleading rushed over Mako's ears like he'd plunged into cold water.

He startled when Asami's smooth hand covered his, her slim fingers fitting in the gaps between his. The screaming fell away into conversation and tinkling glasses and spoons. He realized he was glaring at the flickering candle flame in front of him.

"Dessert?" a waiter asked him.

Mako was still too angry to speak.

"We'll take ours to go," Asami answered for him.

Mako nodded stiffly. Bolin walked in just then, wiping his wet hands on his shirt.

"Very good, ma'am," the waiter said.

Asami rested her head on Mako's shoulder, sending her warmth through his side. Mako's shoulders slowly lowered, and the knot in the base of his neck unwound.

"To go?" Varrick asked. "You're not leaving already, are you?"

"This has been so much fun, but I'm not feeling well," Asami said sweetly. "I could use a nap."

"Oh." Bolin pursed his lips, trying to hide his disappointment. "That's fine. You should go rest."

"Why don't you come by tomorrow and tell me all about the big premiere?" Asami suggested. "I want to know what everyone is wearing, okay?"

Bolin nodded. "I'll take notes!"

"Do you two want the limo to take you back?" Varrick asked.

"I was hoping we could walk," Asami said, glancing at Mako. "It's early, and it's a good neighborhood, but we can take the limo if-"

"No, walking is fine," Mako said. "Its only a few blocks."

As soon as Asami was in possession of the two little packages of cake, she rose and exchanged hugs with Varrick and Bolin. Zhu Li offered her a red umbrella, which Asami accepted, and then Mako found himself being led into the elevator.

"Are you all right?" Asami asked once the doors closed and the elevator car glided downward.

"I'm fine." Mako slouched against the glass. "I just hate people."

"Hey!" She put her hands on his chest and pretended to pout at him. "I'm people."

"No, you're not," he said. "Neither is Bolin."

"In that case, I don't think I should have to pay taxes," she said, leaning in to kiss him.

She warmed him better than a hot bath, and her soft lips sucked out the last of his tension. She pulled away when the elevator doors opened, but the light drizzle prompted her to cling to him under the umbrella as soon as they were outside. He held the umbrella more over her than himself, resulting in a soaked right sleeve. He barely felt it. He kept glancing at her face, almost walking into an empty fruit stand as he tried to figure out what she was thinking. She was harder to read than Tenzin's history books.

When she caught him staring, they both looked away in embarrassment.

"Sorry," Mako said.

"It's all right," she said. "What were you looking at?"

"I was just wondering if you were cold."

"I guess it is a little brisk," she said.

"'Brisk?'" he teased. "Fancy word."

Asami rolled her eyes at him, but she was smiling again. "You knew perfectly well what I meant."

She was so sweet and forgiving and gentle. Mako got angry all over again that anyone would joke about her trauma. Especially Varrick! How could he pretend to be Asami's friend and then make that stupid joke while she was out of the room? And why hadn't he stopped the others when she'd come back?

"Doesn't it bother you?" he blurted out.

She blinked at him in confusion. "The weather?"

"No! Those stupid jokes!"

"At Kwong's?" Asami shrugged. "I zoned out after I heard the first one."

"Me too," Mako said. "It really felt like I was back there again."

"I didn't mean like that," Asami said. "Although that happens to me almost daily. I meant that I got lost in my daydreams and stopped paying attention to them. I did it on the ship, too. When things were too awful, I left. I didn't even mean too; it just happened. I was there, but I wasn't really _there_, if that makes sense."

"I think so," Mako said. "They're still awful for joking about that stuff, though."

"They're ignorant. They make terrible jokes about everything they don't understand."

"But Varrick should know better! He made a disgusting joke while you were dancing with Bolin."

Asami shrugged. "That doesn't surprise me. He's a jerk."

"Really? He saved your company."

"He has ulterior motives I haven't figured out yet," Asami said. "He's an exceptionally clever and charming jerk. Have you seen how he treats his assistant?"

Mako shook off the umbrella and they stomped on the mat in front of Mako's building. Once inside, they immediately slipped on water left on the slick floor by less-considerate people. Mako caught himself on the railing for the stairs, and he caught a flailing Asami with the other arm.

"Close one," she remarked.

"They need to put rugs down here!" Mako glared at the wet floor. "Someone could get hurt!"

He didn't let go of Asami's arm until they were safely inside the apartment with their shoes off.

"It was really nice of you to go out to Bolin's dinner," Mako said as he locked the door.

"Of course!" Asami said. "He's my friend. I'm really happy for him."

"Well, I know it means a lot to him," Mako said. "I think he's lonely or something."

"He is," Asami said. "That's why I invited him over tomorrow."

"Oh," Mako said. "I thought you just really wanted a fashion report."

"I have The Chronicle for that," Asami said. "And they're a lot more accurate, too. Although Bolin's commentary is hard to beat."

Mako stretched. "Hey, did you really need to lie down, or were you just covering for me?"

"You seemed like you needed to leave." Asami set the parcels on the table in front of the sofa. "I wanted to get you home without hurting Bolin's feelings."

"Well, thanks," Mako said. "Should we eat our dessert now?"

"Probably." Asami fetched two spoons from a basket. "They won't be nearly as good later."

They listened to the radio while they ate their little custard cakes. Mako took off his tie and dress shirt to keep them from getting dirty. Asami rested her feet on Mako's lap, wiggling her toes. Mako tickled her knee through the transparent silk, and she laughed and kicked at him playfully. Mako tried to focus on his dessert rather than the uncomfortable tightness in his trousers, but Asami kept tracing her big toe all over him. It was bad enough when she dragged the seam of her stocking along his arm. When she tickled him under his chin, he couldn't suppress the pleasurable little shiver that ran through his body.

"We should probably take that nap soon," he said. "Otherwise we'll just be going to bed early, and that always ends with waking up in the middle of the night."

"I suppose." Asami sat up on her knees next to him. She looked like she wanted to say something, but instead she just frowned.

"Is something wrong?" Mako asked.

"I was just thinking about… You said a couple of weeks," she said. "It's been a couple. More than that, actually."

He stared at her blankly, trying to remember the conversation she was referencing. "Uhh…"

She kissed him, running her hands through his hair and gently biting his lower lip. She was paying close attention to him, and after a moment she leaned back and frowned.

"Sorry," she said. "If you're not ready-"

"Ready for what?" Mako asked.

Asami massaged his stomach through his undershirt. Her fingertips disappeared down the front of his pants, and her touch felt like lightning. He inhaled sharply, his legs twitching.

"Is this all right?" she asked. "I don't want to do anything that-"

He answered by pulling her on top of him. They ended up flat on the sofa, Asami on top of him with her dress hiked up around her hips.

"We can just kiss for a while," she suggested. "We can go slow."

He nodded, holding onto her waist. They kissed and caressed each other for so long that Mako nearly lost control twice.

"Asami," he gasped the second time. He managed to still her just in time.

"Are you all right?" she asked.

"Yes," he said. "I'm ready."

She rose, and he sat up straight. Her long fingers scooped her hair over her shoulder. "Will you unbutton me?" she asked.

He unbuttoned the twenty-eight fabric-covered buttons trailing down her back. As he unhooked the last one, she stood up and pulled her arms out of the sleeves, letting the dress slide to the floor. She kicked the garment aside. The fabric clung to her ankle, and she laughed and shook her foot free. She pushed her drawers down her legs without taking her slip off first. Mako's fingers curled under the shoulder strap, but she shoved his hand away. She pulled the ivory-colored silk over her head and brushed her messy hair back into place with her fingers. She stood there in her stockings, bra, and garter, making no move to finish undressing.

"Are you going to take the rest off?" Mako asked.

"Bold words for someone who's practically fully dressed."

She unbuckled his belt and undid the buttons on his trousers while he took off his undershirt.

"Should we go to the bedroom?" he asked when he was completely naked.

"I think out here is just fine," Asami said.

She climbed onto his lap and swatted his hands away when he tried to stroke the satiny black hair between her legs. He settled for putting his hands back on her hips. The two of them shared a long, electric kiss, which evolved into Mako kissing Asami's neck while she panted and rocked back and forth over his lap. She didn't smell like her usual perfume. She smelled like clean citrus and cool green tea and maybe a little honeysuckle. He sniffed her skin again just to be sure.

"Did you change your perfume?" he asked.

She leaned back and blinked. "Yes," she laughed. "My usual scent didn't smell right on me. I didn't think anyone would notice."

"It smells nice," he said.

"Thanks."

And just like that, their mouths were pressed together again. Mako kissed his way down to her chest. Asami grabbed his hair and yanked his head away as though he'd burned her. Mako looked up at her, but her face was too impassable to tell if he'd upset her. She kissed him on the lips, her grip on his hair gradually relaxing.

"Sorry," he said into her mouth.

"It's fine." She raised her head to catch her breath. "My breasts are just sore. Why don't you sit back and let me do everything?"

Mako should have let Asami take charge sooner. Why, exactly, had he resisted this the last time they'd dated? Her sharp teeth nibbled at his earlobe, making him moan helplessly underneath her. And when her hot, wet tongue probed his ear canal, he felt it all the way down his spine.

"Asami," he breathed. "I love you so much."

"I love you too," she said into his ear. "Come inside me."

"What?" He half-opened his eyes.

She raised her eyebrow at him. Well, he didn't have to be told twice. He shrugged.

"Okay. If you're sure."

"I'm sure."

She kissed his neck, her body squeezing him so hard he could barely hold on. He was just about to surrender when the door to his apartment burst open. Every muscle in his body simultaneously froze and buzzed. He had to unstick his tongue from the rest of his mouth just to croak out her name.

"Korra?"

Asami stopped moving and glanced over her shoulder in confusion. When she saw Korra, she stumbled backward off of Mako. She snatched up her slip and fumbled with it, pulling it over her head. Mako covered himself with the orange pillow to his left.

Korra watched them both with her mouth hanging open. When she finally sucked in a deep breath, Mako winced in preparation. Korra did not disappoint.

"YOU'RE CHEATING ON ME?!" Korra shouted. "WITH ONE OF MY BEST FRIENDS?! HOW COULD YOU DO THIS TO ME?!"

Asami picked up her dress, glaring at Mako. "You told me you broke up with her!"

"I did!" Mako groaned. "Korra, why are you doing this?"

"How could you cheat on me?!" Korra swept her arm and knocked everything off a nearby shelf. "I'm out there trying to save the world, and you're laid up with Asami?! I got attacked by dark spirits! Do you even know what I faced in the spirit world?!"

"Korra, I'm so sorry!" Asami grabbed her shoes and underwear. "I thought you two were broken up. I swear, I never would have come over here if I'd known you two were still together."

She disappeared into Mako's bedroom, glaring at him the whole way and slamming the door once she was inside.

"Korra, would you please close the door and let me explain?" Mako begged.

"There's nothing to explain!" Korra yelled, but she slammed the door shut with airbending anyway.

Mako frantically pulled on his underwear, afraid he might lose some body parts if he didn't put clothes on fast. "Korra, do you not remember the huge fight we had?"

"No!" Korra stomped toward him. "What fight?"

"You came to the precinct, and we screamed at each other. Remember? I broke up with you, and you threw my desk across the room."

Korra stood down. "I don't... I don't remember that at all."

"I promise, I'm telling you the truth," Mako said. "Ask anyone in Republic CIty. They all knew we broke up."

"Well... either way, you're already sleeping with her?!" Korra stuck out her lower lip. She looked around the apartment, her eyes focusing on Asami's things on the bookshelf. "Did Asami MOVE INTO YOUR APARTMENT?"

"It's not what you think," Mako said. "We've been through a lot together the past few weeks."

"Like what?"

"Like getting seriously hurt and almost dying!" Mako jabbed his finger at his mouth. "I lost a tooth! Look!"

Korra leaned in much too close, peering into his mouth. "Oh, wow. You really did. How did that happen?"

Mako sighed. "I was trying to help Asami figure out who was stealing her shipments, and things went... bad. Really bad. Someone paid the Triple Threats to keep us distracted for a few hours while they cleaned out Asami's warehouse."

"I didn't know," Korra said. "Wow, poor Asami."

"You seriously need to apologize to her. She didn't deserve that."

"Didn't deserve what?" Korra asked. "You were the only one I yelled at."

Mako reflected on her outburst, and he silently concluded that she was right. "Well, whatever." Mako pulled his undershirt back on. "She's probably upset anyway. Today was the first time in three weeks she's seemed normal, and then you came in here screaming-"

"Normal?" Korra asked. "What do you mean?"

"It turns out that being violated by gangsters is really bad for your mental health."

"They did that to Asami?" Korra asked in horror. "Which gang?"

"The Triple Threats."

"Is that how you lost your tooth?"

"Yes." Mako crossed his arms and slumped on the couch. "They beat me up pretty badly and then made me watch while they- just go apologize to her already."

"I feel like a total jerk now." Korra reached out for him, stopping herself at the last minute. "Sorry. Just... Poor Asami. Poor you. If Tenzin or the others come looking for me, tell them... oh, I don't know. Tell them I need a few minutes and that I'll come find them when I'm done."

Mako didn't answer. Korra shrugged and went into the bedroom. Mako eavesdropped through the thin wall as he retrieved his pants.

"Korra, I'm so sorry!" Asami said as soon as the door opened. "I should have known Mako would do the ambiguous breakup thing to you! If anyone should know better, it's me. Please forgive me, Korra. You know I would never, ever-"

"It's okay," Korra said. "You don't have to apologize. And don't blame Mako. Apparently he was pretty clear about breaking up with me. But see, I got attacked by this dark spirit, and I lost all my memories... I'm sorry for bursting in unannounced. And for yelling. And Asami, I'm so, so sorry about what happened to you! Do you want to talk about it?"

Bolin threw open the front door just then, huffing and puffing. "I saved the president in real life!" he panted.

"I seriously need to get a better lock," Mako said. "Bolin, what are you talking about?"

Other people peeked inside the apartment-Tenzin, Kya, Bumi, Lin.

"Is Korra here?" Tenzin asked.

"Uh, she said she needed a minute and she'd catch up with you guys," Mako said.

"Well, tell her not to dawdle," Tenzin said. "We'll fly over to Air Temple Island in the meantime."

The adults left, and Mako turned to Bolin. "What were you saying, bro?"

"Varrick tried to kidnap the president!" Bolin waved his arms. "And I stopped all the kidnappers singlehandedly! In real life! I'm a hero after all!"

"Great," Mako said.

"And did you hear that Korra's back?!" Bolin continued. "Isn't this great?"

"Yup," Mako said. "Totally great. What's going on?"

"Well apparently…"

Mako half-listened to Bolin's chatter about Unalaq and the impending apocalypse and Jinora's precarious situation. Mako was more interested in whatever conversation was happening in the bedroom, especially when he caught snippets like, "I don't regret killing them, exactly, I just wish-" and "I don't want to hurt Mako's feelings, but..."

"Yeah, yeah, great, Bolin," Mako said, although he had no idea what Bolin had just said. "I'll pass the message along. See you around."

"Are you coming to the jail with us?" Bolin asked.

"Yeah, sure," Mako said. "We'll get there as soon as we can."

He practically shoved Bolin out the front door and then returned to the sofa.

"No, don't laugh!" Asami was giggling. "It was actually super traumatic and humiliating. And, sorry, this is gross, but I was bleeding a lot by then, so it actually hurt really badly."

"I'm sorry." Korra's voice was so warm and loving it made Mako nostalgic. "It sounds like he deserved it, though. What a horrible guy! All of them are horrible. They all deserved."

"Oh, they did! But I was so afraid they were going to kill Mako. Honestly, I don't remember very much anymore, but I remember being so scared they'd kill him if I didn't perform perfectly."

"Monsters," Korra grumbled. "I'm glad you killed them. If you hadn't, I would have hunted them down and had Naga tear them to pieces."

"Thanks," Asami said. "I'm just afraid something is wrong with me, physiologically."

"Why? Has it been happening a lot?"

"No, only happened that once," Asami said. "But I feel like I'm running to the powder room three times more than I used to. I'm worried I'm... damaged. Or, worse-"

"You're not," Korra said firmly. "And if you are, well… there are ways to fix it, right? Tenzin's sister Kya is a really great healer-"

"I can't," Asami said. "I can't even think about waterbending. I can't breathe when I think about it. If I someone waterbending again, I'm afraid I would lose control and do something embarrassing."

"Sorry," Korra said. "Well... you should still talk to Pema. I bet she knows good nonbending midwives, too. I've heard scary stuff about them, though."

"Me too. I'm so scared, Korra."

"Do you want a hug?"

"Always."

Mako heard the springs creak in his bed, and then there was a brief silence.

"You know what I wish?" Korra said.

"What?"

"I wish your accident would have happened while that one guy's face was down there."

"Korra!" Asami gasped, and then both of them laughed.

"I mean it, though!" Korra insisted. "How funny would that have been? And it would have served him right for being a creepy piece of garbage!"

"Oh, I wish I would have done that," Asami giggled. "Of course, then they probably would have hurt me worse and then beaten Mako to death, but-" A sob interrupted her laughter.

"Oh no! Asami, please don't cry," Korra said. "I'm sorry! I'm horrible at handling these kinds of situations. I'm really, really sorry for joking about something you just said was super painful and humiliating and traumatizing! Please don't hate me!"

"It's not that," Asami said. "What you said was funny. It cheered me up. There's just so much to process right now. It's a little overwhelming. Bolin saving the president, Jinora being trapped in the spirit world, and you with your… everything. I can't believe you met the first avatar! I feel so useless. I've spent the past three weeks locked inside this apartment while you were saving the world. And I'd be lying if I said I didn't want to flee the city to hide in the mountains for a few years."

"I can't imagine how hard this must be for you. I feel like the world's worst avatar for not being there to protect you! After Harmonic Convergence is over, we should go on vacation somewhere. We'll be mountain hermits together for a few weeks. No boys allowed."

"I'm so glad you're back, Korra. Mako and Bolin have been great, but I can't talk to them about any of this stuff. Bolin isn't ready to think about girls having health problems, and Mako starts looking for the nearest exit as soon as the topic comes up!"

"Yeah, and he does that _thing _with his face, right?"

They both snickered.

"That's so perfect!" Asami laughed. "I had no idea you did impressions! I swear, that's exactly what he does. Men..."

Mako scowled. What were they talking about?

"Hey! I know!" Korra said. "You and Mako should stay with Pema and the airbender kids while we're gone!"

"Gone?" Asami asked. "Where are you going?"

"I have to go to the Southern Water Tribe," Korra said. "I wish I could stay, but-"

"No, I get it," Asami assured her. "Jinora is trapped in the spirit world, and Unalaq is going to destroy the entire world if you don't stop him. Now that I think about it, I can't believe you're not already gone."

"I was worried about you," Korra said. "I still am. Will you please stay with Pema while I'm gone? You could ask her all your questions, and I know Tenzin would feel better if you and Mako were there to look out for the rest of his family."

"No, I'll go with you," Asami said. "You might need me."

"I need you and Mako somewhere safe," Korra said. "And I need the next generation of airbenders safe."

"But if you can't stop your uncle, we'll all be plunged into eternal darkness, won't we? I should be helping you, not hiding in Republic City."

"I might be too worried about you to focus on stopping Unalaq if you come with me," Korra said. "Besides, there's something way more helpful that you could do for me."

"Name it."

"Maybe you could guilt Varrick into telling us where your merchandise is. We could really use some transportation, not to mention the firepower."

"Varrick?" Asami asked.

Bolin's words from earlier suddenly processed, leaving Mako full of aching dread. He wanted to rush in and stop Korra, but it was too late.

"Well, he probably still has your stuff, right? Asami? You knew Varrick was the one who set you up, right?"

There was silence.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to-"

"It's fine," Asami said. "I'm just... processing. Tell me what you had in mind."

o0o0o

Two hours later, Korra, Bolin, and the others were southbound on Varrick's battleship, the _Zhu Li_. Mako and Asami sat in a parked Satomobile, watching the last of the purple sunset slip under the water. Asami had barely spoken since she'd found out about Varrick's betrayal, other than to very quietly threaten Varrick's painful death if he didn't cooperate with them. It hadn't taken much to persuade Varrick to help them. Mako wondered if some of it was guilt. In the long run, though, it didn't matter. Everyone else was gone, and it was just Mako and Asami left in Republic City. Even Pabu had gone to the Southern Water Tribe.

"Where do you want to go?" Mako finally asked.

"Home."

"To the apartment?"

"No, the estate."

Mako turned the car radio on, and neither of them spoke the entire ride. Asami had hopped into the passenger seat, so Mako drove the two of them to her estate. He'd barely parked in her driveway when she opened her door and hopped out of the car. She tied back her hair while walking around the house to her father's workshop.

"What are we doing here?" Mako called as he followed her.

She didn't answer. She hefted a sledgehammer in her hands and looked around the workshop. Then, with a grunt, she raised it above her head and smashed it onto a workbench. Mako watched from a distance, equally shocked and impressed. She destroyed every functional tool and piece of equipment in the building, including the frame of an unfinished Satomobile. When she finished, she was covered in sweat, and the workshop was covered in scrap metal.

Asami offered the sledgehammer to Mako. "Do you need a turn?"

"I'm okay, thanks," Mako said. "Are we staying here tonight, or do you want to go back to the apartment?"

Asami dropped the sledgehammer and examined her trembling, bleeding hands. "Here."

It was the last word she spoke until after midnight. She was silent while Mako cleaned her hands over her father's liquor cabinet. She barely even moved during the hour-long shower they took together, during which he awkwardly attempted to wash her hair while she sat on the tile floor. He tried, once, to kiss her wet neck and caress her between her legs, trying to make her feel better by picking up where they'd left off earlier. Asami quickly elbowed that idea out of him.

"Ow, okay," he said. "I get it. Sorry. I was just trying to make you feel better."

He rinsed the soap off himself and went to bed, leaving Asami to shower alone. He lay awake near the edge of her bed, listening for her movements over the faint strains of the radio. He didn't think many people had drowned in the shower, but there was always the chance she might faint, and her long hair would plug the drain, and-

The faucet squeaked, and the water stopped pattering. Mako scooted into the middle of the bed and pretended to be asleep. When she turned her back on him, he watched her do her bedtime ritual in the light from the bathroom: yank her comb through her hair, snatch her underwear up her legs, smear lotion across her skin, wrestle her nightgown over her head. She turned off the bathroom light, and he closed his eyes. A moment later, the mattress rocked under her knees, and her clammy feet invaded his pocket of warmth. The chill from her hair soaked through his undershirt. He put his arm over her, and she readjusted it.

He couldn't sleep with cold water seeping across his chest, and she seemed similarly restless, so he finally rolled onto his side and rested his head on his elbow.

"What's wrong?" he asked, already regretting the question.

"I shouldn't have done that," she said. "Now I'm bankrupt, I'm missing a benefactor, and I don't even have a workshop. That was so stupid of me."

"Yeah, but it looked like it made you feel better," Mako said.

She sighed. "It did. It's been such a long, weird, frustrating day."

"Tell me about it."

"By the way, I'm really sorry for doubting you earlier."

"Huh?" he asked. "When?"

"With Korra. Assuming you were lying to me."

"Oh, that," Mako said. "I probably deserved it. Don't worry about it."

She snuggled her head into the pillow. Mako stroked her wet hair, uncomfortable and completely unsure what he was supposed to be doing. After a few minutes of awkward hair-petting, Asami took his hand in both of hers and kissed the backs of his fingers. It was familiar and comforting, but in a sad way, like his father's scarf.

"Mako?" Asami said. "What do you think your calling is?"

"Uhh…" He sat up. "I've never thought about it before. I guess I'm okay as a police officer."

"But do you feel like that's your calling? Or are you only doing it because it's convenient, or because people expect you to, or something like that?"

"Well, I'm not doing it at all right now," he pointed out. "But… I don't know. I'm good at it. I like it. I guess eventually I'd like to make detective."

"You'd be a good detective," Asami agreed. "You notice so many little details I'd never notice in a hundred years."

"Thanks," Mako said. "Why are you suddenly so interested in my calling?"

"I don't know," Asami said. "I was so upset over losing everything, but now that I have it back, I can't make myself feel happy. I can't motivate myself to do what it takes to pull Future Industries out of the red. I don't know what my calling is, but I know it's not keeping my father's company afloat just for the sake of keeping it afloat."

"We'll figure it out," Mako assured her. He comforted her the only way he knew how: he patted her back. "You don't have to figure it out tonight. We'll take care of it in the morning."

She eventually gave into his back-patting and fell asleep. Mako stayed awake and tried to think of possible callings for Asami, but he wasn't exactly good at it. He accidentally fell asleep somewhere between "mechanic" and "driving teacher."


	4. Chapter 4

Asami woke in such a good mood that Mako questioned whether the night before had actually happened. Even throwing up her first breakfast didn't seem to shake her. By the time Mako toweled off from his shower, she was nibbling dry toast and washing it down with ginger tea.

"What are we doing today?" Mako asked.

"I have some business matters to attend to, and then I was thinking about going to Air Temple Island," Asami said.

"Don't work too hard," Mako said.

"I'll try not to. Eventually, if the company doesn't go under, I'll hire some people to take care of it for me," Asami said. "And if it does go under, well… I suppose that's one less thing for me to worry about."

"Is there anything I can do to help? Mako asked.

"Yes, actually. Could you be moral support?"

"Moral support" wasn't something Mako had much firsthand experience providing. After spilling the tea tray on Asami's desk, he sullenly stood behind her chair and rubbed her neck and shoulders while she made her phone calls and sealed wrinkled documents inside brown-splotched envelopes. When Asami finally put everything in her father's leather briefcase, Mako offered her his hand. Instead of using it to stand up, she hung the briefcase handle on his fingers. Mako's wrist nearly snapped from the unexpected weight.

"Thanks for carrying that." Asami smiled up at Mako. "Let's go over to Air Temple Island. I just need to mail this stuff on the way."

He could never stay irritated when he looked into her green eyes, especially when she made him look at them through her thick lashes.

"Would you mind driving for me?" she asked. "I get so motion sick lately."

"Sure," Mako said. "Whatever you need."

It was early afternoon by the time they reached Air Temple Island. Pema greeted them with herbal tea, tiny cakes, and vegetable sandwiches. Asami traded all of her sandwiches for all but one of Mako's cakes. He was so relieved to see her eat something other than toast that he didn't comment on her cake thievery.

"What do you think will happen during harmonic convergence?" Asami asked as she licked crumbs from her fingers.

"I don't know," Pema said. "Hopefully Korra will close the portals and nothing will happen."

Asami frowned. "Mako and I should be with her."

Mako nodded.

"I was surprised you two didn't go with her." Pema hoisted a fussing Rohan to her breast. "What happened?"

Asami focused intently on her empty plate. "Korra asked us to stay behind and take care of you and the children."

"That's sweet," Pema said. "I think we'll be all right on our own, although I guess it's too late to change anything now. How did you two draw the short straws?"

"Well, I'm a nonbender," Asami said. "And Mako, um..."

"It was just weird for Korra to have me around," Mako said. "With the breakup. And... probably because I'm technically dating Asami again."

"Technically?" Asami and Pema asked at the same time.

"Are we not technically dating?" Mako asked.

"I thought we were just regular dating," Asami said. "Given that Korra walked in on us-" She glanced at the children. "Having grown-up time?"

"Oh dear!" Pema laughed. "Oh, that's terrible! I'm so sorry! I shouldn't be laughing, but... oh! I'm imagining Lin ever walking in on Tenzin and I! Oh, no!"

"It was pretty interesting, all right," Asami said. "Especially since Korra didn't remember the breakup."

"No!" Pema gasped. "She thought Mako was still her boyfriend?"

"Yes. I imagine Korra's parents probably heard the yelling."

"Yeah, and Asami automatically believed I hadn't broken up with Korra!" Mako pouted. "I would never-"

Asami and Pema were both staring at him with raised eyebrows.

"Okay, okay," he said. "_One time_."

"When my mom and dad have grown-up time, us kids get honey cakes for breakfast," Meelo announced, picking his nose. "But only if we stay in our own beds and don't make animal noises."

"Doesn't grown-up time make babies?" Ikki asked suspiciously. "Are you two going to have a baby?"

"I got timeout once for opening the door when Mom and Dad were hugging naked," Meelo went on. "I was pretending to be a platypus bear. Platypus bears don't understand words, but little boys do. And little boys have to stay in bed if they want honey cakes."

"Can you only make a baby if you're married?" Ikki stood on her knees and clasped her hands together. "Are you two going to get married? Can I be a bridesmaid if you do? Please can I?"

"Uh, maybe we're talking about a different kind of grown-up time." Asami's cheeks were pink. "Actually, Pema, I had a question about something related to that, but… maybe at naptime?"

"Hey kids!" Pema said, startling Rohan away from her nipple. "Who wants to play hide and seek?"

Ikki and Meelo nearly turned the table over jumping up and down.

"Me! Me!" Ikki raised her hand above her head.

"Me more!"

"You do not, Meelo! I want to play more!"

Pema started counting over their arguing. "One, two-"

Ikki and Meelo raced out of the room. Pema stopped counting.

"All right." She patted Rohan's back. "We have half an hour until I have to go shout that I give up and start counting again. What's on your mind, sweetie?"

Asami folded her hands in her lap. "It's kind of a delicate question."

"I've had four babies," Pema said. "Nothing in the world can embarrass you after you've given birth."

"Well... it's about injuries. I was wondering if very vigorous relations could cause any lasting issues."

"Like what kind of issues?"

"All sorts of pains and tensions," Asami said. "And… accidents."

"Accidents?" Pema asked. "Like wetting yourself?"

Asami's whole face turned pink now, but she nodded. Mako examined a hangnail on his thumb, wishing he'd seized his opportunity to hide with the kids.

"Sure, anything is possible." Pema pursed her lips and wrinkled her forehead at Mako. "You have to be more careful! I know you're young and full of energy, but honestly! You'll never get a girl back into bed with you if you hurt her like that."

Mako was sure his face must be as red as his scarf. He slouched in his seat and pulled his scarf over his mouth and nose.

"Oh, no!" Asami protested. "This was before Mako and I got back together. It was... a bad situation with someone else. Mako would never hurt me like that."

"If you say so." Pema moved Rohan to her shoulder and patted his back. "Have you seen a healer?"

"Sort of," Asami said. "I saw one right after the encounter, but she was treating other problems, and I didn't think to ask about the other issue."

"The only way to know for sure is to ask a healer or doctor," Pema said. "Is there any chance you could be expecting? I had accidents with all of my pregnancies, starting just a few weeks into the first one."

"There's absolutely no chance I was expecting when it happened," Asami said.

"I'm not sure, then," Pema said. "Sorry. But I can recommend the best women's doctors and healers in Republic City, if you want."

"Thanks," Asami said. "I'll think about it. It's hard to think about seeing a doctor right now."

"I understand," Pema said. "Kya might have better suggestions than I do, if she..."

_If she made it back._ While the three of them were lounging on cushions eating cakes, Kya was working round the clock to keep Jinora alive. In a day or so, they'd reach the Southern Water Tribe, where they'd all risk their lives to save the world.

Asami took Mako's hand in both of hers and massaged it, as if to soothe his guilty thoughts.

"I'm always here if you want to talk," Pema said at last. "I know a thing or two about being left behind while everyone else saves the world. And about bad relationships."

"Thanks, Pema," Asami said. "I'd love to be there for you, too. How was Jinora? I was so worried when Korra told me what happened…"

Pema sighed. "It was horrible seeing my baby like that. But she's strong. I have to believe she'll be okay."

"Tenzin and the others know what they're doing," Asami said. "I bet Jinora will be back in a few days with all kinds of exciting stories to tell."

"I bet you're right." Pema smiled. "Say, did you hear what Buttercup was wearing at the big premiere last night?"

"No! Tell me."

"It was the prettiest green dress. I thought of you when I saw it, because it would have gone so nicely with your eyes. I liked it so much I saved the newspaper clipping for you, although obviously you can't see the color. Let me find it for you."

"Uh, don't you have to wear airbender robes?" Mako asked.

Pema and Asami were staring at him again.

"Uh, stupid question," Mako said. "Forget I said anything."

"Just because I wear airbender robes doesn't mean I lost my eye for fashion." Pema retrieved the picture she'd cut out of the newspaper. "Oh! And maybe you can tell me what on earth is going on with Ginger's dress in this picture, because-"

Asami covered her mouth and laughed. "Oh no! That's always my biggest fear when I wear white. It must have been cold outside, for them to show up so well in such a small photo in the paper!"

"I _know_!" Pema hovered over the clipping, pressing her head close to Asami's. "I mean, look at them! Is she not wearing a slip? Or a brassiere?"

Mako could deal with boredom, but being left out of girly jokes was too much for his pride.

"I'm going to check on the kids," he said.

"Oh, thank you," Pema said, and then she went back to giggling with Asami.

"Hey! Uh, kids? Your mom named me 'it!'" Mako called in the hallway. "I give up! I'm gonna close my eyes and count to ten, and you have to change hiding spots! One, two, three…"

There were giggles, footsteps, and whooshes as the kids ran past Mako. When he was finished counting, he followed them into Tenzin's study. Two pairs of feet stuck out from behind the desk. Mako grabbed a book and settled onto the sofa to read it, ignoring the snickers and whispers until he heard, "I gotta poop!"

Mako sighed and stood up. After returning the book to its shelf, he peeked around the other side of the desk. "Found you!" he said. "Let's take a bathroom break before we go back to playing."

After two more rounds of hide and seek, Mako was bored out of his mind. He wandered back into the room where Pema and Asami were laughing together over steaming cups of tea.

"Oh, Mako!" Asami said. "What time is it?"

"Almost dinner time," he said.

"Thanks for watching the kids all this time," Pema said.

"No problem," he replied. "Asami?"

"I'm sorry, Mako." Asami rose. "I had no idea it had gotten so late! We got to talking and-"

"It's fine," he said, draping his arm over her shoulders. "I was just curious when you wanted to head back."

"Why don't you two spend the night?" Pema asked, shifting Rohan to her hip. "No pressure, of course, but it would be great to have company while everyone's gone."

"Maybe," Asami said. "But… the dormitories are still separated by gender, aren't they?"

"Technically, yes," Pema looked from Asami to Mako. "You know, if you promise not to tell Tenzin, I don't mind letting you two sleep in the family dormitory. There's an empty room right next to mine."

Asami glanced up at Mako, questioning him with her eyes.

"That would be nice," Mako said. "Thank you, Pema."

"Yes, thank you," Asami said. "We'll just run home and get our things."

"Hurry back," Pema said. "I'll make a special dessert for dinner."

Back at Mako's apartment, they packed quickly enough to be back in time to set the table for Pema. Asami ate more at dinner than she had all week. When she finished her dessert and then eyed Mako's with sad eyes, he took one last bite and offered her the rest. She traded a kiss for it.

"Thank you so much, Pema," Asami said as she helped stack the plates and bowls. "That was amazing. I haven't felt full in weeks. I actually feel like I could use a walk after that."

"I'll go with you," Mako said.

"Don't be gone too long," Pema teased. "I know the beds aren't the comfiest here, but I'll worry if you're out all night."

"Oh, we'll be back on the next ferry." Asami caressed the top of one of Mako's burning ears. "I'm not up for anything but walking."

It was still light by the time the ferry reached the city-side dock. Asami slipped her hand into Mako's as they followed the crowds through the shopping district. Mako glanced at her. She seemed as content as the rest of the walkers, the thousands of people who had no idea the world might end in a matter of days. He was suddenly seized with the urge to hug her and tell her he loved her, in case the world really did end. He ducked into an alley, pulling her along. He realized too late that an alley wasn't the most romantic place he could have picked, but, fortunately, this one was clean and smelled only of cold pastries.

"What is it?" Asami asked, instantly on alert. "Are we being followed?"

"I don't think so." Mako pulled her into his arms. "I wanted to tell you I love you. That's all."

Her hands rested on his shoulders. "I love you too," she said. Her head tilted toward her right shoulder, a little gesture she always did right before leaning in to kiss him.

He met her lips with his. One kiss turned into three, and then five, and then Mako lost count. When he opened his eyes again, he realized it had gotten dark, especially deep in the alley he'd picked.

"We should probably get back," he said.

Asami nodded, gracefully dabbing the sides of her mouth. "I'd feel awful if we worried Pema," she said. "That was nice. What was it all about, though?"

Mako shrugged. "I didn't want to risk going into ten thousand years of darkness without doing it."

She squeezed his hand. "You're sweet. Oh, what if we-"

She cut herself off with a startled shriek. Something clobbered Mako on the back of the head, and he stumbled onto his knees. Fists were pummeling him from all directions, it seemed like. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Asami kicking her legs and trying to squirm out of a bear hug from behind.

"Help!" Asami screamed. "Help, police!"

Her foot connected with the man's groin. There was a familiar, "Oof!" and then Asami was dropped onto her hands and knees on the ground. Before she could pull herself up, the man yanked her hands behind her back and slapped cuffs on her arms. Mako felt cold metal on his own wrists.

"We are the police, lady!" Gang said.

"You're both under arrest for assaulting police officers, disturbing the peace, and resisting arrest," Lu said.

"Mako?" Asami's voice quavered.

"Don't worry. We'll be okay. Just keep quiet and do what they say."

Asami didn't speak another word, even when they reached the precinct and Lu and Gang marched her into the strip search room.

"All right, Ms. Sato," Gang said. "Just take your clothes off and shake them out for us, nice and slow-like."

"Leave her alone!" Mako shouted, straining at the chains that kept him shackled to the bench. "You're violating at least five different protocols! She doesn't need to be strip searched, and a female officer is supposed to be present!"

"Relax," Lu said. "We're not going to lay a finger on her. We'll even leave the door open so you can make sure nothing improper happens."

"Yeah, we're just having a little fun," Gang said. "All right, sweetheart. Don't make us repeat ourselves. Take the clothes off, starting with your coat."

Asami was silent and, based on the hoots coming from the room, apparently cooperative. Mako seethed and bruised his wrists on the cuffs.

"Spread your legs for us, doll."

"Oh, good idea, Lu. Girls are sneaky about hiding things."

Mako was contemplating setting the bench on fire when Lu finally said, "Okay, you can put your clothes back on."

There was silence. Mako took the lack of commentary to mean that Asami was complying.

"Face the wall and put your hands behind your back."

Lu led her to an interrogation room. Gang uncuffed Mako and grabbed him by the scarf, and they followed into the same room. Mako was shoved into a hard metal chair next to Asami, and his hands were cuffed to one of the slats on the back, just like hers.

"Are you okay?" Mako asked Asami.

She didn't seem to hear him. Her face and neck were as white as a funeral robe. Mako had expected her to be crying or angry, but this was so much worse.

"Why are we here?" Mako demanded.

"Yeah, let's cut to the chase," Gang said. "We know you guys killed the Triple Threats."

The chair seemed to grow even colder. Mako glanced at Asami, trying to signal her not to speak. From the look on her face, he didn't think that would be a problem.

"What?" Mako asked. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Don't play dumb," Lu said. "We've got witnesses and everything."

"Just admit it," Gang said. "Your girl here slept around with them, things didn't work out happily ever after, and the two of you bumped off her old flames."

"That's not true," Mako said. "You're making it up!"

"Are we?" Lu asked. "Then how come we've got enough evidence to put you two away for a long time?"

"Someone must be framing us, then," Mako insisted. "Where's Chief Beifong?"

"The chief's gone home for the night," Gang said. "Why don't you two just confess? The jury will go a lot easier on you if you 'fess up to it."

Asami opened her mouth, and Mako braced himself.

"Lawyer," Asami said, so softly even Mako barely heard it.

"What's that, sweetheart?" Lu put his face so close to hers their noses touched.

Asami closed her eyes. "Lawyer."

"Lawyer?" Lu laughed in her face, spraying her with spittle she couldn't wipe away.

Gang joined him in chortling. "Now that's funny," he said. "Lawyer? You don't get a lawyer until you confess. Now, tell us the truth, and we'll get you your phone calls."

Asami pressed her lips into a thin white line.

"We're not saying anything without our lawyers," Mako said.

Gang slugged Mako in the jaw. Mako's teeth cut the inside of his cheek. He spit the blood onto Gang's face. It was totally worth it, even though it provoked Gang to start wildly punching Mako in the gut, the ribs, the eye. Lu finally restrained Gang.

"Come on, you taught him his lesson," he said. "Even we can't get away with murdering someone in handcuffs."

Gang stepped back and took a deep breath, wiping his bloody knuckles on his sides. "Yeah, yeah. We can let them sweat it out for a while."

"That's the spirit," Lu said. "Plus, they've got a visitor."

"Oh, right."

The two detectives left. Mako nudged Asami, but she didn't respond. They sat in silence for a few minutes, until Asami whimpered.

"It's okay," Mako said. "They can only keep our hands cuffed behind our back for two hours max. That's the law."

"It's not that," Asami said. "My arms do hurt, but… oh! It's so embarrassing!"

"What is it?"

"I really need to use the women's powder room," she admitted.

"Hey!" Mako yelled. "Hey! We need an officer in here!"

Lu and Gang laughed from down the hall.

"How long can you hold it?" Mako asked.

"Not long." Asami's chin touched her chest. "I really think there might be some lasting damage from what happened on Varrick's ship."

Mako winced. He inhaled as deeply as he could and yelled, "Hey! It's an emergency!"

When no one answered his call, he slumped in his chair and scowled.

"Ohh, Mako!" Asami squirmed in her handcuffs. "I really, really don't think I'm going to make it."

"Just go," Mako said. "I bet the chief will make Lu and Gang clean it up, since they're the ones who left us here. Just do it."

"No!" Asami pressed her knees tightly together. "I'm not going to sit here and wet myself like a child!"

"It's not as bad if you do it on purpose. People do it all the time to make a statement. I'll do it with you."

"You'll what?"

"I'll pee my pants too."

Asami laughed and then quickly stopped herself. "That's really sweet, but please don't. I'd be so much more embarrassed."

"Fine," Mako said. "Suit yourself."

Asami twisted around in her seat, sucking air through her teeth occasionally. Once again, Mako expected her to be red-faced and flustered, even crying a little, but her face was as pale and dry as before. Despite her squirming, the floor under her chair was also dry.

"We'll file a complaint as soon as we get out of here," Mako finally said. "I'll help you do it."

Asami didn't answer.

The door opened, and Mako expected to see Lu and Gang, or even Chief Beifong, if they were lucky. Instead, Mako nearly tipped over his chair from shock.

"What are you doing in here?" Mako demanded. "And... how?!"

"Someone owed me a favor," Hiroshi said. "Asami-"

"I don't want to talk to you." Asami looked away. "You tried to kill me. I have nothing to say to you."

Hiroshi grabbed her chin with his front-cuffed hands and forced her to look into his face. "I'm your father! How dare you look away from me when I'm speaking to you?"

Her gaze drifted in his direction, but her eyes were blank, unseeing. Mako wondered if she was as overwhelmed by bad memories as he was. It would have been a violent enough gesture on its own, even if that waterbender hadn't done the exact same thing while hurting Asami just a few weeks ago.

"Leave her alone!" Mako tried to scoot his chair closer to Asami. "Get your hands off her!"

"It's it true?" Hiroshi ignored Mako.

"Hm?" Asami asked. "What?"

"These rumors about you… cavorting around with gangsters. Tell me they're not true."

Asami closed her eyes. "I don't know what to tell you, Dad. If you really think I'd willingly do anything like that, then you clearly don't know me at all."

"That's not an answer." Hiroshi scowled. "Tell me the truth, Asami. I'd rather have my daughter be dead than… than whoring herself out to bending gangsters!"

She flinched at his words. "Dad..."

"Even if the rumors were true, why would you automatically assume she did any of that willingly?" Mako pointed out. "You're in jail because you're an Equalist! Wasn't one of Amon's pet issues triad violence against nonbender women?"

Hiroshi crossed his arms. "My Asami could defend herself against a dozen benders. The only way those filthy gangsters could ever have her would be consensually."

Asami hung her head. "Just go, Dad. I don't have anything else to say to you."

The door flew open just then. Mako had never been so glad to see Chief Beifong, especially not when she was this furious.

"GET THIS PRISONER BACK TO HIS CELL!" she barked. "Why is he even in here?!"

As an aide rushed in to escort Hiroshi out, Lin stomped up and down the hall. "Lu! Gang! Get in here this instant!"

The detectives skulked in, and Lu lit a cigar. He blew a puff of smoke into Asami's face, and she gagged.

"Oh no, please don't," she begged. "I'm going to be sick."

"Put that out!" Lin snapped, slamming the door shut.

Lu stubbed out the cigar on the table, but the damage was done. Asami strained at her cuffs.

"Oh, I'm really going to be sick!"

Lin grabbed a wastebasket for Asami to retch into. Asami's eyes streamed, the droplets falling from her chin. She spat out curse words in delicate, whispered little bursts between each heave. Mako heard the trickle before he saw it, and his fists clenched as Lu and Gang roared with laughter at Asami's predicament.

"Quiet!" Lin snapped. "Both of you, go get towels and a mop. You'll have this room immaculate by morning, or so help me-"

The detectives slammed the door on her, mid-sentence. Lin rubbed the bridge of her nose.

"What a nightmare," Lin muttered.

"I'm so sorry," Asami said, clearly humiliated. Another puking episode interrupted her, but she continued speaking as soon as she caught her breath again. "I tried to hold it. I'm so, so sorry, Chief."

"Don't worry about it, kid." Lin squeezed Asami's shoulder. "You're doing me a favor. Those two need to be knocked down a few pegs, and mopping up piss should do the job. Just let it all out."

Lin freed both Mako and Asami from their restraints with a gesture. Asami took the bin from the chief, and Mako swung his arms around to restore the feeling in them.

"What happened?" Lin asked Mako. "How'd you get so roughed up again?"

"How do you think?!" Mako wiped blood from his busted lip. "They grabbed us off the streets like a couple of criminals. They didn't even identify themselves until Asami started yelling for the police!"

Lin growled in irritation. "Of all the incompetent- anything else I should know?"

"Yes! They strip-searched Asami in front of the entire precinct, and then they locked us in here for hours without water, a phone call, or a single bathroom visit! I'm filing a complaint on Asami's behalf!"

"I might be able to save you the tree," Lin said. "Hold off on that report until the morning, if you don't mind. There might not be any need."

Lu and Gang returned just then, lugging a mop, bucket, and basket of towels.

"Close the door!" Lin shouted. "And get to work! I want both of you on your hands and knees cleaning that floor."

The detectives obeyed, but they rolled their eyes all the while. Lin handed a towel to Asami, who patted her face and then dried herself off without making eye contact with anyone in the room.

"So Chief," Gang asked. "When are you gonna question them about the murders?"

"I'm not," Lin said. "You two managed to assault and humiliate an off-duty police officer and one of the top industrial leaders of this city. Not only that, but you did so while questioning them _about a violent crime perpetrated against them_. I'm sure they're in no condition to answer questions right now. Is that floor clean yet?"

"Yes, Chief."

"Good. Go make yourselves useful and finish that paperwork backlog."

Lu and Gang left, lugging their cleaning supplies with them. Lin followed them. Mako tried to comfort Asami, but she was calmer and more collected than he was. He sat quietly until Lin returned with a pitcher of water and some garments tossed over her arm.

"Here." Lin handed the clothing to Asami and poured two cups of water.

She pulled the curtains closed over the door and one-way mirror, and Asami changed in the corner.

"We'll have your clothing cleaned for you," Lin said.

"Thank you," Asami said politely. "I appreciate your help."

Mako drank a few gulps from his cup, clearing his mouth of blood.

"As you've probably already surmised, you're both persons of interests in a mass homicide case," Lin said. "Obviously, I didn't intend for the conversation to happen like this. I wasn't even expecting Lu and Gang to bring you in until tomorrow. Obviously they had their own agenda."

"They said some Triple Threats were killed," Mako said. "How?"

"We found them burnt to a crisp," Lin said. "Your names kept popping up in the investigation, and your alleged encounter a few weeks ago would give you motive."

"Well, we didn't do it," Mako said stubbornly.

"I believe you," Lin said, though her tone suggested that she didn't. "But tell me, Mako- you know more about the triads than most on the force. Have you ever heard of the Agni Kais castrating rival gang members before setting them on fire?"

"Sure," Mako lied. "Sometimes. If it's personal."

"That's what I was thinking too," Lin said. "The Triple Threats must have messed with the wrong girl. I'll bring in some Agni Kais for questioning, when I get around to it."

Mako could have sighed with relief. "Sounds good, Chief."

"I doubt we'll ever find the culprit, or culprits, as the case may be," Lin went on. "Especially since I'm sure the killers will be more cautious in the future. Don't you think?"

"Yeah," Mako said. "Probably."

"Just as well. We're far too swamped to catch every murderer out there. Some of them have to fall to the wayside, and I'd sooner find justice for real victims than a bunch of rapists and murderers."

Mako nodded, trying not to look too sweaty. "Sounds good, Chief."

"I guess we're done here," Lin said. "Come back in the morning to make that report."

"I will," Mako said. "The police shouldn't be allowed to sexually assault suspects."

"Trust me, I don't intend to allow them to," Lin said. "Let's go. I'll drive the two of you home."

"We're actually staying on Air Temple Island," Mako said.

"Fine," Lin said. "I've been meaning to talk to Pema, anyway. This gives me an excuse. Let's go."

Asami stared out the window of Lin's Satomobile, pretending to be fascinated by the glow of the street lamps in the fog. Mako touched her shoulder, but Asami shrugged his hand away. He sighed and propped himself against his own window.

She began crying softly as they drove over Kyoshi Bridge. By the time they reached the ferry, she was sobbing, both hands pressed over her mouth to mute the sound. Lin glanced pointedly into the rearview mirror, and Mako imagined her judging him for not taking care of his girlfriend.

"Asami-"

He put his arms around her, and this time she didn't resist. In fact, she turned and hid her face in his chest.

"Is it some kind of game?" she demanded.

"Huh?"

"Do benders get off on humiliating us by making us wet ourselves? Why does this keep happening to me?!"

"Uhh..." Mako patted her back. "I don't know. Did it happen during the... the attack?"

"Yes!" Asami grabbed a fistful of his shirt. "After they knocked you out. I was exhausted and in so much pain, and my body just... gave up."

"I'm sorry." Mako kept patting her back, even though he thought maybe he'd been doing it for an awkwardly long time.

"Earlier today, I thought I was finally getting better," Asami wept. "But now I feel just as horrible as I did right after the attack! I thought police officers were supposed to protect me, not make me feel as violated as my rapists!

Mako was confused. Asami had felt okay enough to laugh and joke about her attack yesterday with Korra. And she'd been so calm at the precinct, even during the strip-search and the visit from Hiroshi and the whole wetting-her-pants-while-vomiting episode. Yet there she was, bawling in Lin's backseat. Mako held her until she quieted down, flinching every time Lin glanced in the mirror at him.

"You should have wet your pants too, Mako," Lin said once Asami was crying softly again.

"I tried to, but she said she'd be more embarrassed by that," Mako said.

He thought he saw Lin smile, even though the mirror only showed her eyes.

"Have you applied for detective yet?" Lin asked.

"No," he said. "Why?"

"Just curious," she said. "You should do that tomorrow when you come to file your report."

"Okay…" Mako said. "I will, I guess."

As the ferry pulled into Air Temple Island, Asami wiped her eyes.

"I'm sorry," she said. "I don't know what came over me."

"It was a shit evening," Lin said. "Don't apologize. I'll walk you two inside."

Pema was sitting with a cup of tea at the kitchen table. She rose and pulled her robe closed when the three of them walked in.

"There you are," she said. "I was so worried about you two when you didn't show up after your walk. I called your homes, but no one answered, and you'd left all your belongings here... Asami, are you all right, sweetie?"

Asami nodded. "Yes, thank you. Good night, Pema." With that, she fled to her room.

Pema turned to Mako. "What's wrong?" she asked. "Did something happen?"

"I need to talk to you," Lin said. "Mako, go check on Asami."

Mako pretended to follow Asami, but he paused around the corner to eavesdrop.

"Tea?" Pema asked.

"Yes, please."

There was silence while Pema filled Lin's cup.

"What on earth happened to those two?" Pema asked.

"It's a long story," Lin said. "That girl could use some motherly attention, Pema."

"I picked up on that," Pema said. "But why?"

"It seems that some gangsters beat Mako and took liberties with Asami," Lin said.

"Oh, that's awful!" Pema said. "Tonight?"

"No, a few weeks ago. I only know because I went to check on Mako after he stopped showing up for work."

"Ohh," Pema said. "A few things make more sense now. But what happened tonight?"

"Republic City's finest," Lin spat out. "Two of my detectives- excuse me, former detectives- were supposed to pick them up for routine questioning regarding a murder spree someone seems to have taken against one of the bending triads. It looked like a typical rape-vengeance scenario, and the bodies were set on fire, so-"

"You don't think Mako killed them?"

Lin evaded the question. "Whoever killed those gangsters did the city a favor. The triads have been terrorizing nonbenders for decades. If someone wants to help the police by taking a few rapists and murderers off the streets, I certainly won't lose any sleep over it."

"But Mako looks like he's been in a fight! What happened tonight?"

Lin made a disgusted noise. "Resisting the police, if you believe my corrupt former detectives. The same detectives who stripped a rape victim naked in the middle of the precinct and then made her wet herself in an interrogation room."

"No! Please tell me you're joking."

"I wish I was. Her clothes are in the precinct laundry room as we speak."

"I can't imagine how upset she must be," Pema said. "Poor thing. She's been through so much."

Someone slurped their tea.

"I think that girl's in trouble, Pema."

"I know," Pema said. "I suspected even before I knew the whole story."

"How keen is she to the possibility?"

"Judging from my one day with her? She never came right out and mentioned it, but I don't think she can think of anything else right now. She's terrified."

"You need to take her under her wing and help her resolve the issue," Lin said. "A complication like this wouldn't just ruin her reputation. It would ruin her life."

"I know. Don't worry, Lin. I'll talk to her as soon as harmonic convergence is over."

Mako didn't understand exactly what they meant, but their worry was infectious. He didn't like the way it made his chest hurt. He snuck down the hall to fulfill Lin's orders.

Asami was crying in the shower. Mako sat on the closed toilet and ran his hand through his hair.

"Asami?"

He must have startled her, because she swore and knocked over her row of soap bottles.

"Dammit! Oh, I'll straighten them tomorrow."

"It's fine," Mako said. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," she sniffled.

"Chief Beifong is firing Lu and Gang," Mako said.

"Good," Asami said. "They shouldn't be allowed to do that to anyone else."

She turned off the water and stepped onto the straw mat. Mako watched out of the corner of his eye as she toweled herself down with the scratchy linen until she was an angry red all over, as if she were trying to rub a stain out of her skin. She wrapped the towel around herself and squeezed her hair out six times before storming out of the bathroom. Mako followed, collecting her clothing from the floor and dropping the bundle into the hamper. Asami still hadn't grasped that her servants weren't there to pick up after her, but Mako didn't think it was a good time to bring that up.

She had scarcely pulled her nightgown on when Pema knocked on the door. Mako let her in.

"Lin told me about the detectives," Pema said. "I'm so sorry that happened to you, sweetie!"

"I'm fine." Asami climbed into the bed. "I just want to forget it happened."

"Well, I won't keep you up," Pema said. "But I want both of you to know that you can always come to me if you need to talk. You shouldn't have to deal with this sort of thing on your own."

"Thank you," Asami said.

"Sleep tight."

Pema was already out the door by the time Asami spoke up.

"Pema?"

Pema turned around and peeked back into the room. "Yes?"

"I'm ready to go to a midwife," Asami said. "Not a waterbender. Just a regular midwife. Can you tell me where to go? I... I might be in trouble."

o0o0o

Mako dreamt that night that he was locked behind the one-way mirror, watching Lu and Gang tear Asami's stockings apart and shove their grimy fingers inside her. Asami didn't make a sound the whole time.

"Asami!" Mako shouted, banging his fists against the glass. "Get your hands off her! No! Asami!"

Angry tears tickled his cheeks. In the interrogation room, the detectives forced Asami onto the metal table. Mako kicked the wall. Gang held Asami's throat while Lu pinned her wrists.

"No, Asami!" Mako swore and banged his forehead on the shatterproof mirror. "Asami!"

"Mako, shh." Her voice was soft in his ear. "Wake up."

"No..."

"Mako, sweetie, it's just a dream."

Pema's voice startled him out of the nightmare. Mako opened his eyes. Asami was sitting up next to him in the guest bed, while Pema and her three children peered at him in the lamp light. He realized he must have been yelling-and crying-out loud.

He wanted to run to the bathroom and lock himself in until he'd composed himself, but they were blocking the path. He pulled the blanket over his head and hid instead. He wiped his face and forced his breathing patterns into submission.

"I'll be back to check on you two in a little bit," Pema said. "Come on, kids. Back to bed."

Asami lay down behind Mako, rubbing his back. "They're gone," she said. "You can come out now. Everything's okay."

"It's not okay," he said. "I can't protect you from anything. I'm a terrible boyfriend."

Asami hugged him from behind.

"You're not a terrible boyfriend," Asami said. "At least, not so far, this time around."

"I wish I could make up for letting you down," Mako said.

"You haven't let me down," Asami insisted. "But if you want to take care of me, I could really use some support tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?"

"I'm going to the midwife as soon as I wake up," Asami said. "I'm a little scared, because they might do invasive or painful things, and I might not be in my right mind once they start. Would you go with me? Please? I would feel so much better if you were there to look out for me."

Accompanying Asami to the midwife had been near the bottom of things Mako ever wanted to do, but when she put it like that...

"Yeah, of course I'll go with you," he said. "We're in this together."

Pema slipped back into the room just then.

"Well, it only took seven renditions of 'The Hungry Little Lemur,' but they're both finally asleep," Pema said. "Are you feeling any better, Mako?"

"Yeah," he answered truthfully. "I am. I think I'm ready to go back to sleep."

"Great." Pema hugged both of them and kissed their foreheads. "Sleep tight. Wake me up if you need anything."

Asami cuddled up to Mako. "Are you really feeling better?"

He nodded. "Wake me up thirty minutes before you want to leave," he said. "Wait, make that an hour. I want to drop off my application before we go to the midwife."

She kissed him again, this time on the lips, and five minutes later he was fast asleep on her shoulder.


	5. Chapter 5

Mako probably would have slept until noon if Ikki hadn't tiptoed into their room, poked him, and asked, "Mako? Asami? Are you two awake yet? Mom said to check because we're hungry but we don't want to start eating breakfast without you if you're almost ready."

Asami spent most of breakfast vomiting honeyed tea and salted rice over the nearest balcony. Mako kept Ikki and Meelo from impaling each other with their chopsticks while their mother held Asami's hair.

"I'm so, so sorry-"

Pema shushed Asami, patting her back. "There's nothing to be sorry about. You're fine. When you're finished, I'll make you something to settle your stomach."

"Iiikkkkiiii." Meelo picked his nose and then wiped his finger on his sister.

"EW!" Ikki shrieked. "MOM!"

Mako scowled at Ikki and Meelo, and their bickering stopped immediately.

Whatever Pema gave Asami seemed to work miracles. Asami was ready to go before Mako, and she didn't even have to lean out the window to be sick when he put the car in reverse.

"You seem better," he remarked.

"I feel better."

"Then do you mind if we stop by the precinct before we go to the doctor?" Mako asked, pulling into traffic. "The chief said I should apply for that position."

"I don't mind, as long as I don't have to go inside," Asami said. "I don't think I can bear to go back inside that place after what happened last night."

Mako didn't like the idea of leaving Asami on the front steps of the police station, but as soon as they got out of the car, she gracefully strode off to greet an acquaintance she'd spotted. Mako wiped his sweaty palms on his pants and walked inside the precinct.

Inside, phones jingled and people scurried around like the world was ending. Mako wondered how much of the chaos was related to harmonic convergence. The hallway to Lin's office was quieter than the rest of the building. He knocked on the door, and Beifong's voice immediately ordered him to enter.

"Hey Chief," he greeted her. "And… um… hello?"

A woman with red streaks throughout her short black hair rose from her seat. She stuck her hand out, and Mako took it, trying not to stare too hard at the extra loops piercing her ears or the small fleck of metal poking out of the side of her nose.

"Hi, I'm Jun." She shook his hand firmly.

"Mako," he said.

"Jun is transferring from Ba Sing Se," Lin said. "She'll be your partner. That is, assuming you're here to apply for the detective position."

Mako nodded.

"Great," Lin said. "You're hired. When can you start?"

"Uh…" Mako scratched his neck. "Why? Do you need me to work tonight?"

"No," Lin said. "Not as a detective, anyway. You'll need some training before you're ready to direct anyone else. If you need more time on leave, that's fine. Lu and Gang got very little done, anyway. I just need a start date."

"Maybe another few days?" Mako said. "Assuming the world doesn't end tonight, I'll probably have team avatar stuff to take care of."

"That's fine," Lin said. "Just let me know by the end of the week. Now both of you, get out of my office so I can get ready for tonight."

"What's tonight?" Jun asked as she and Mako left the office.

"Harmonic convergence," Mako said.

"Oh, right. Is that a big deal around here?"

"It could be," Mako said. "Depends on whether Korra can close the portals in time."

"Ohh, that's right," Jun said. "You're the avatar's boyfriend, aren't you?"

"I was," Mako said stiffly.

"Ouch," Jun said. "Did she dump you?"

"No, I broke up with her," Mako said.

"Really?" Jun asked. "Wow. Hey, you're a firebender, right?"

"Yes," he said, relieved by the topic change. "And you're a metalbender?"

She dropped her stuff on the desk that was formerly Gang's and grinned. "Nope. But my ex was."

"My mistake," Mako said. "Did he do your earrings, then?"

"_She_ did my ears and my nose," Jun said. "Plus a few places you'll never see unless you wander into the wrong locker room."

"Oh!" Mako said, embarrassed first by his second assumption, and then by the effect her words had on him once he put together a mental image.

"Aw, I didn't mean to make you blush," Jun teased.

"You didn't."

"Kid, your face is as red as my hair."

Mako ducked his head. Why did she have to call him 'kid' like that, anyway?

"Where are you from?" he asked. "Were you born in Ba Sing Se?"

"Yup," Jun said. "Here's hoping Republic City is more fun."

"Sure, if you like gang-related crimes." Mako leaned against his new desk. "Every time you put out one fire, three more pop up. Plus, half the cops are working for the gangs, either full-time or on the side. Welcome to Republic City."

"It's gotta be better than Ba Sing Se," Jun argued. "Ten rapes a week, minimum, and just about as many murders. I'm trying to beat my burnout with a change of scenery."

"Good luck," Mako said. "Anyway, I've gotta take my girlfriend to the doctor, so-"

"I thought you and Korra broke up?"

"We did," Mako said. "I'm… kind of… re-dating my ex."

Jun laughed. "Never a dull moment on the new team avatar, is there? I won't keep you. See you in a few days."

Mako saluted her and returned to Asami, who was holding a lit cigarette between her fingers and laughing politely with a girl about her age. She quickly dropped the cigarette and stomped it out when she saw Mako. The friend waved as Asami hurried toward Mako.

"I didn't know you smoked," Mako said.

"Only socially," she said. "Sorry, I must smell like smoke."

"I kind of like it," Mako said without thinking.

"Really?"

He shrugged. "It's familiar, that's all. I smell pretty smoky after training."

"Oh, right."

He offered Asami his arm, which she took without hesitation.

"Are you ready to go to this doctor?" he asked.

"As ready as I'll ever be."

o0o0o

The doctor's office looked more like a butcher's shop than a healer's shop, but Mako didn't know much about girl stuff. All he knew was that the straps and hooks hanging from the walls made him nervous.

"What is this place?" he demanded.

"I told you, it's a midwife's office," Asami said. "You can wait outside if you're uncomfortable."

"No, I'll stay with you."

As if he would leave her alone for a second in a place like this. If this was where women came when they were sick or injured, those jokes about women being weak were even stupider than Mako had thought. On the rare occasion Mako or Bolin had needed healing, they'd bartered with waterbenders who'd had soft hands and even softer beds.

A short, white-haired woman appeared from a back room. "Can I help you, dear?" she asked.

"Yes, good morning. I've been having some problems." Asami propped her elbows on the counter. "A friend told me you might be able to help me."

"Come and let me have a look." The old woman nodded toward the back room.

Asami took a few steps forward before faltering. "Can he come with me?" she asked.

"Of course," the woman said. "Come along. What kind of problems are you having?"

Mako half-listened as Asami listed off the symptoms that he was already well aware of- pain, sickness, exhaustion, accidents.

"Is your cycle missing?" the woman asked.

"It's a week late. Do you have any medicine I can take, just in case?"

"I do. Take off your underthings, if you don't mind, and I'll examine you first."

Asami stripped off her underwear and lay back on the table. Mako took her damp hand. The midwife shined a light under Asami's skirt and frowned in concentration.

"It's a bit early to tell, but I think herbs might be a good idea," the midwife said at last. "They may not work, though. If your cycle hasn't come back in a few weeks, we can do the operation."

"Operation?" Mako asked in alarm.

Both women ignored him.

"How much does that hurt?" Asami asked.

"It's not pleasant. I'll have to strap you in to make sure you don't move while I'm working." The woman held up a buckled leather strap attached to the table. "I'll give you medicine to make you drowsy, though. I've been doing this for nearly fifty years, and I've never lost a woman yet."

"Are the straps always a requirement?" Asami pulled her clothing back on. "What if I held very still?"

"I won't do the operation without the straps," the woman said. "Just an inch of movement and you could bleed to death. I can recommend some waterbenders, though. Some are quite affordable these days."

Asami just shook her head.

"Hopefully it won't come to that, then." The old woman measured out herbs into a jar. "Brew two cups from all of this, and make sure to drink them in the same day. Morning and night."

"Thank you," Asami said. "How much do I owe you?"

"Fifty yuans." The woman screwed the lid onto the jar.

Asami reached into her pocket book, but Mako got to his wallet faster. She opened her mouth to protest, then closed it and hugged Mako's arm instead. He felt like a hero as he dropped the bills onto the counter.

That was one of his favorite things about Asami- she always made him feel like her champion, even when he was just being a good boyfriend.

o0o0o

Despite the midwife's instructions, Asami drank the first cup of herbal tea as soon as they arrived home. She drank the second cup just as it was growing dark outside. Mako disapproved of her ignoring the doctor's orders, but he said nothing.

"Who knows what will happen after harmonic convergence?" Asami said in response to his stare, as if that explained everything. "If we can't even boil water, we certainly won't be equipped to handle more serious complications."

Mako shrugged, pretending like he knew what she was talking about.

"Boats!" Meelo shouted from the balcony.

The adults joined him and saw dozens of United Forces ships, all ready to defend Republic City from whatever Unalaq might have in mind. Airships filled the sky like gray storm clouds, prompting lots of excited chatter from the airbender kids.

For a long time, the whole city waited. It occurred to Mako that if everything went to plan, nothing would happen in Republic City at all. Asami fell asleep on the sofa, and Mako covered her with a blanket. She slept for an hour or so, until the earth suddenly rumbled slightly and the whole world turned a mystical pink. As Asami rejoined Pema and the children on the balcony, rubbing her eyes, Mako dragged a chair out for her.

"Thanks." She kissed him on the cheek and dropped into the chair.

"Do you want one too?" Mako asked Pema.

"No, I'm fine," Pema said. "Thank you, though!"

"I'm scared!" Ikki declared, climbing onto Asam's lap for a better view.

"Me too." Meelo joined his sister, although he stood on the edge of Asami's chair.

Mako glanced down at Asami, enjoying how adorably awkward she looked trying to keep the kids from falling over the railing.

"The green lights are really pretty," Pema said to Asami.

Asami nodded, but Mako wasn't sure she'd even heard Pema's words. She was tapping her fingers on the arm of the chair, watching the sky for any sign of Korra.

Everyone yelped in surprise as a giant meteor crashed into Yue Bay, bouncing off the water before landing. Unalaq rose from the splash. He was taller than the distant mountains, and a mystical pattern glowed red like embers on charcoal. He waded through the water like it was low tide at the beach.

"Korra couldn't stop him?" Ikki asked. "Is Korra dead?"

"Maybe a new baby avatar is in someone's tummy," Meelo said.

Asami exchanged a worried glance with Mako and Pema.

"I'm sure Korra is fine," Pema said. "She's very tough."

The United Forces ships fired, but their rockets exploded into harmless puffs of smoke against Unalaq's shadowy skin. He raised his arms, waterbending a tidal wave over the ships.

"Monster attack!" Meelo shouted.

Unalaq waded to Aang's statue and, after a moment of staring, wrenched it off its base and through it into the bay.

Asami jumped a little every time Unavaatu turned his gaze toward Air Temple Island. Mako rubbed her tight shoulders. If he couldn't fight, he needed to do something else with his restless hands.

"Should we go somewhere else?" Asami whispered as Unavaatu's spirit beam knocked a police airship out of the sky.

"Go where?" Mako asked. "Where could we possibly hide from the end of the world?"

"Let's not give up hope until we have proof," Pema said. "Korra might still come through."

The metalbenders swung out of the crashing dirigible. Mako thought he saw Chief Beifong carrying the president to safety, but it was too far to tell.

Vines burst out of the water, destroying buildings and streets and power lines. Half the city lights went dark. The kids bounced up and down, squealing in excitement, but Pema and Asami went so still they didn't even appear to be breathing. Mako squeezed Asami's shoulder.

"I think that's your apartment building." Asami pointed into the distance. "The one with all the vines coming out of it."

"Yeah," Mako sighed. "Looks like it. I hope they let me out of my lease."

Sirens wailed through the city, although it was unclear exactly where citizens were supposed to flee.

Mako gritted his teeth. This was the end. He had stayed behind like a coward, and in doing so he'd doomed the world. He should have at least gone out with the other police officers, protecting Republic City until the very end. Mako massaged Asami's neck more aggressively.

"Ow!" She tore her eyes away from Unavaatu to glare at him. "A little gentler, please."

"Sorry." Mako squinted at a blue glimmer in the sky. "Hey, is that-"

The blue light grew closer and then landed in the water. Mako blinked, too surprised to believe his eyes at first.

"Korra's back!" Ikki cried.

Meelo pointed. "And she's a blue giant!"

Mako put his arm around Asami, but she seemed oblivious to everything but Korra. She grabbed the railing as giant Korra shoved Unavaatu under the water.

"Yeah!" Meelo yelled. "Stay down, monster!"

Ikki cupped her hands around her mouth. "Bad monster! Go home, and put Grandpa Aang's statue back before you leave! Bad, bad!"

Mako hated not being able to help Korra. He ground his teeth every time she seemed to be losing, because if Korra went down, so did the whole world.

"Come on, Korra, you can do it," Asami breathed.

After a long fight, however, it looked like Korra was done for. Asami clutched her hands over her heart as Unavaatu swirled the dark purple waters around Korra.

"We have to do something!" she said. "Mako, maybe we can distract him-"

She was cut off by a glowing ball of gold descending from the sky.

"Mommy, it's Jinora!" Ikki exclaimed. "She's… beautiful!"

"What? Let me see." Pema snatched the spyglass from Ikki. Upon confirming that it was Jinora, Pema waved her free arm and yelled, "Be careful, sweetie!"

Jinora's light exploded like a massive bomb. It was so bright that Mako covered his eyes and still found himself blinded when he opened them again. By the time he could see again, Korra was spirit-bending a screaming, dematerializing Unavaatu. When the last fleck of light disappeared, Korra bowed. Her voice echoed across the water.

"Go in peace."

She cupped her hands around Jinora, and then they both disappeared as quickly as she'd arrived.

"She did it!" Asami threw her arms around Mako's neck, nearly knocking him over. "Korra saved us!"

And she hadn't even needed their help. Mako felt more stung than relieved.

"Yeah," he said. "Great."

Across Yue Bay, Republic City thawed from fear to celebration.

"Woohoo!" Ikki jumped onto Asami's empty chair. "Korra beat the monster! Korra beat the-whoa!"

Meelo jumped onto the chair with Ikki, accidentally knocking them both off. They landed with scraped hands and knees and immediately tussled around on the ground.

"You ruin everything, Meelo!"

"You're just mad 'cause I'm the greatest fartbender of all time!"

"Don't you dare fart on me! Don't do it! Don't- MOMMY!"

"Does anyone else need a drink?" Pema asked. "I think I'm going to have a drink."

Asami stood on her tiptoes to speak directly into Mako's ear. "I'm feeling a little tired from all the excitement," she murmured. "Maybe we should go to bed early."

Mako was too jittery from the fight to sleep, and Pema's drink idea sounded a lot better than lying in the dark.

"Uh, sure…" he said. "We could do that. If you really want to."

Asami huffed and crossed her arms. "Fine, if you don't want to, just forget it-"

"No, no! I am tired. I'll lie down with you. Let's go."

Once they were inside their room, Asami closed the window and kicked off her boots. Mako took off the top layer of his clothing and lay down, and Asami snuggled up to him. He was thinking up excuses to sneak out and wander the island after she fell asleep when Asami climbed on top of him in nothing but her thin nightgown.

"Oh, hey."

She smirked and kissed him. "Hey."

He pretended not to notice the way her breasts brushed his bare chest. He squirmed, trying to reposition himself so she wouldn't notice his body's response. Asami very innocently moved with him.

"Aren't you comfortable?" she asked.

"Well, the bed is a little… um…" He tried to think of a word that wasn't "hard" or "firm."

She covered his face and neck with soft, quick kisses that suggested she didn't mind that he was hard, not that he had any say in the matter by that point. She rocked back on him and yanked her nightgown over her head. He grabbed her face and started to kiss her hungrily, but she pulled away from him.

"Gentle kisses," she instructed.

He nodded and let her take the lead, remembering how great it had been the day before. Her lips teased his as she engulfed him. They both inhaled sharply at the same time, and then she stretched her body across his chest, kissing him in more little bursts that tickled his lips and cheek. He hugged her close.

"I love you," he whispered. "Asami…"

"Shh, the kids are probably sleeping by now," she whispered back. "Kiss me again."

The way she was lying on top of him and kissing him made the whole affair feel like their early makeout sessions. The bed was bruising his spine, but he barely felt anything other than overpowering nostalgia. Asami's muscles squeezed around him until his back arched away from the mattress.

Mako groaned into her ear. "Asami, I'm going to-"

She covered his mouth, and the gesture made him lose control. He assumed that had been her intention, but the way Asami scrambled off him and searched her nightgown for its armholes said otherwise. As he lay there, breathing hard, heavy footsteps thudded toward their room. Someone banged on the door.

"Mako?" Chief Beifong's voice projected through the door. "Wake up. I need to speak with you."

"Just a second!" Mako called, struggling to clean himself up and pull his shorts on at the same time.

By the time he rolled out of the bed, Asami had pulled on a nightgown, robe, and pair of slippers. Mako buttoned his shorts and slid open the door, hoping his breathlessness wouldn't give him away.

"Sorry to disturb you two." Beifong nodded over Mako's shoulder at Asami. "I wouldn't be here if it weren't important."

"What is it?" Mako asked.

"Varrick escaped from prison during the attack," Lin said. "It looks like spirit vines broke through the prison wall. A few other prisoners escaped, but we've tracked most of them down. We also had a few casualties."

"My father?" Asami asked in a tight voice.

"Safe and sound in his cell," Lin said. "He claims to have slept through the entire attack. I checked on him for you before coming here."

"Thank you," Asami said. "And thank you for telling us about Varrick."

"You're welcome," Lin said. "I suppose I'll let you two get back to your… sleeping."

Mako cringed as he closed the door. "Were we that obvious?" he asked Asami, who was already curled up in the bed.

"Hm?" she asked.

"Never mind." He kissed her temple. "I'm sorry about Varrick escaping."

"I don't care," she said. "We just survived the end of the world. Who cares about Varrick? I'm sure he'll get what's coming to him. I'm so happy about Korra saving the world that nothing can upset me tonight. Good night."

She pulled the blanket over her head. Mako sighed and pretended to fall asleep so she could cry without feeling self-conscious.


	6. Chapter 6

The trip to the Southern Water Tribe took four days, due to the sky bison (and everyone else) needing frequent rest stops. Neither Mako nor Asami complained about the mode of transportation, however. Keeping rambunctious little airbenders from falling off a bison was infinitely better than being trapped on the water, reliving every horrible minute of their last experience on a ship.

In exchange for helping with the children, Pema kept Asami supplied with the stomach-settling tea-at least when Asami was awake to drink it. Mako quickly got used to seeing his girlfriend curled up on top of an open book or cuddling a small child. He could never resist covering her with a blanket and sitting guard until she woke up. Or, sometimes, until he fell asleep, his knees locked up and his calves cramping.

When they finally reached the Southern Water Tribe, it was obvious the festivities had already been underway for a few days. Statues had been knocked over, replaced with freshly carved ice sculptures of Korra, Tonraq, and Bolin. Trash and old food littered the ground. Children who probably should have been in bed by that hour were instead shrieking and chasing each other. Meanwhile, their parents danced or played games or enjoyed varying levels of drunkeness.

As Mako tumbled off the sky bison and turned to help Asami down, Bolin tackled him. When Mako could breathe again, he saw that Tenzin and Jinora were hugging Pema and the children.

"I saved the world!" Bolin was shouting. "Me and Korra! Me and Eska! It was so great!"

Out of the corner of his eye, Mako spotted Korra. He braced himself, but she ran to Asami instead of him.

"I'm so glad you're okay!" Korra exclaimed. "When Unavaatu was attacking Republic City-"

"We were safe on Air Temple Island." Asami patted Korra's back. "Mako's apartment is destroyed, but we're all safe. You were incredible! What was that blue giant thing that you did? Did you find Raava?"

"It's a long story. Come get something to drink!" Korra pulled Asami and Mako-and, by extension, Bolin- toward the party. "Do you need to use the bathroom? You guys must be starving!"

"I should probably eat," Asami said. "It's been a few hours, and I feel sick if my stomach gets too empty."

Mako followed them to the buffet table, half-listening to Bolin recount his heroics. There was far more alcohol than there was food, and there was a truly impressive amount of food. Mako knew Chief Beifong was around somewhere, so he poured himself a glass of water and found a seat near Korra, Asami, and Bolin. They had claimed two bottles of liquor for the three of them.

"Varrick isn't here, is he?" Asami's voice was carefully calm.

"No, and he won't be welcome if he shows up," Korra said, instantly going somber. "I am so, so sorry about what happened to you, Asami."

"Me too." Bolin hugged Asami.

Pabu licked Asami's cheek from Bolin's shoulder.

"See? Even Pabu cares," Bolin said.

"If I can do anything to help-" Korra began.

"Let's just enjoy the party." Asami cut her off with a sweet smile. "I want to drink so much I can't remember what five minutes ago, let alone anything else."

"That I can handle!" Korra filled their mugs.

"A toast!" Bolin raised his glass. "To not spending the next 10,000 years in darkness, getting eaten by spirits!"

They all bumped rims, even Mako. The other three chugged their drinks, and Asami refilled their cups.

"And to Korra," Asami said. "The greatest avatar of all time."

Korra blushed and grinned. "Well, then I have to toast to the best team avatar of all time! I love you guys."

Asami and Bolin both "aww"ed.

"You two are like my sisters." Bolin rubbed at his eyes. "Which I realize sounds a little weird, since Korra and I dated-"

"It was one date," Korra said.

"-But I realize now that you two are like the family I never had. Aside from Mako. I'm just… so happy!" Bolin burst into tears and gulped down his second drink.

Mako sighed. He wasn't in the mood to babysit his brother and friends while they threw up, wept, and got into fights. He wasn't sure what Asami would be like, because he'd never seen her drunk, but Korra and Bolin were nightmares when drunk. Especially when they got drunk together.

"Do you think I made the right choice closing the portals?" Korra asked into her third cup of wine.

"Of course!" Asami said. "You're the avatar! I'm sure your instincts were right."

"Are things bad in Republic City?"

Asami hesitated. "Define 'bad.'"

Korra groaned.

"It's not terrible." Asami put her arm over Korra's shoulders. "There's a lot of damage, and we had a couple of minor earthquakes, but that's the worst of it! Imagine if you'd kept the portals open. All those vines covering the roads… all those spirits! What happened in Republic City was Unalaq's fault, not yours. The people will understand."

"And if they don't, screw them!" Bolin said. "Uh oh, I feel sick…"

Ten minutes later, Bolin was puking between two buildings while Asami and Korra patted his back. When he was finished, they tucked him and Pabu into bed and then returned to the party without him. Korra stole another bottle of wine, and Mako followed her and Asami to a secret ledge high above the rest of the party.

"Wow, this is beautiful," Asami said. "You can see everything from here."

"I know, right?!" Korra said, a little too loudly. "So, can you still remember five minutes ago?"

"Hopefully not after we finish this bottle."

Korra wrenched the top off the new bottle of wine and then flexed her biceps-while still holding the bottle. "That's right!" She sloshed sticky wine all over herself and the snow. "I'm the avatar, and I can pull the stopper out with my bare hands!"

"So strong." Asami squeezed Korra's arm muscles. "My hero."

They were both flushed from the wine and cold. Mako felt flushed for a totally different reason. The girls had lost their cups at some point, so the two of them took turns drinking straight out of the bottle. Mako stuffed his hands into his pockets and watched. At least they'd stopped asking him if he wanted any.

"This is nice." Asami handed the bottle back to Korra. "I was afraid I would be left out, or forgotten, or… something. I didn't feel like I was really part of team avatar until… I'm not sure when."

"I was kind of awful to you," Korra said. "I'm so sorry, Asami. I'm still trying to think of a way to make it up to you. I mean, I thought of one way, but it's dumb. I mean, maybe you'd like it, but- Mako, can I kiss your girlfriend?"

He was so surprised that he unslumped his shoulders. "What?"

"Remember how I kissed you when you were dating Asami? Well, I've been thinking about it, and the only way for me to make it right is for Asami to kiss me now that she's dating you."

"That makes no sense," Mako said. "Wouldn't Asami dating me make up for me and you kissing?"

Korra scoffed. "What, because you're so great?"

"Well… I don't know!" Mako scowled. "Why does she have to kiss you?"

"She doesn't HAVE to. I just thought it might make her feel better. You know, kissing the master of all four elements." Korra grinned. "Besides, she's the only member of team avatar I haven't kissed yet. But if you're going to get weird and jealous about it-"

"I'm not getting weird and jeaolus!" Mako said. "Why would I even care? Girls kiss each other all the time. It doesn't mean anything. Asami can kiss you as much as she wants, for all I care."

Asami grabbed Korra's shirt and pulled her in for a long, tender kiss that made Korra's knees visibly buckle. She grabbed onto Asami for support, and the two of them laughed into each other's mouths.

Mako couldn't decide whether he was more jealous or turned on. The jealousy won, but he wasn't even sure whether it was Korra or Asami that he was jealous over.

"You're a really good kisser," Korra muttered. "Wow."

"Thank you!" Asami glanced over her shoulder and blew a kiss at Mako. "I've been telling Mako how lucky he is to have me."

"He is lucky." Korra touched Asami's cheek. "Asami... When I got my memories back in the Tree of Time, I realized that Mako and I don't work. We're terrible for each other, at least as boyfriend and girlfriend. But I really hope that things work out for you two this time. I know you've been through a lot, and you deserve some happiness."

Asami hugged Korra. "Thank you," she said into Korra's hair. "I would never want to do this without your blessing."

There was a loud cheering from the center of the festival. Korra and Asami pulled away.

"Oh, the waterbending show is starting!" Korra glanced from Asami to Mako. "Should we go inside, or do you guys want to watch?"

"We should go inside," Mako said.

"We'll catch up with you," Asami said. "I want to watch."

"Really?" Mako asked, taken aback. "But… you're afraid of waterbending."

"I feel brave from the alcohol," Asami said. "Or maybe it's the company."

She winked at Korra, who blushed.

"No." Mako crossed his arms. "You're drunk, and I'm not in the mood to pat your back and convince you you're safe! I do that enough at home. We're going inside."

Korra and Asami both glared at him, and then they turned their back on him and climbed onto Naga to watch the display. He decided to appeal to Korra instead.

"Come on, Korra," Mako said. "Do you really want Asami to panic and forget where she is over some stupid bending show? Help me get her inside."

"She's an adult," Korra said. "She doesn't have to go inside if she doesn't want to."

"She's too drunk to know what she wants," Mako said.

"No, I'm not," Asami said.

"Stop being a jerk!" Korra said.

"I'm not being a jerk!" Mako said. "I'm looking out for Asami. You don't even know what she went through or what upsets her! I was the one who went through it with her."

"That doesn't mean you're in charge of her life now," Korra said. "Asami wants to stay here. She's fine. I'll keep her safe, and if she gets upset, I'll take her inside. Now go away, because you're really making me regret what I said about hoping things work out between you two."

Mako crossed his arms and practically covered his ears with his shoulders. "No," he said. "I don't think I will leave you two alone. It might not be safe for you."

"What do you mean?" Korra asked.

"Yeah, Mako, what do you mean?" Asami asked.

"Well, you have been having those dreams," Mako said, already regretting hitting this far below the belt. "And you did seem a little too into that kiss with Korra. I mean, you thought up that stuff for Ping pretty fast. At the time, I didn't think much about it, but now…"

"What are you saying?" Asami asked.

"I'm saying maybe I should stay here for Korra's protection." Mako braced himself. "I mean, anyone who can stab a guy to death in cold blood could probably rape someone, especially while drunk."

"Mako!" Korra's face was full of disgust. "What's wrong with you?"

Mako expected Asami to give him the same outraged look, but what he got was much worse.

"Asami?" Korra patted her arm gently. "Are you okay?"

Asami stared intently at the waterbending display. After a few seconds, Mako saw her green eyes glitter behind a wall of water. When she finally blinked, the tears coasted down her cheeks, and Asami curled into a ball. She slid off Naga's side, and Korra rolled down with her.

"Look what you did!" Korra threw a handful of snow at Mako. "This is all your fault!"

"No, it was probably the waterbenders!" Mako said.

"No, it was you." Asami's voice was muffled. "I knew it! I knew you would be terrible as soon as you got around Korra!"

Korra rubbed Asami's back. "Asami, what can I do to make it better?"

"Nothing," Asami said bitterly. "No one can make it better. Things are only going to get worse! I should jump off that ledge right now, while everyone is at the party. No one would think to look for me for weeks. Months, maybe. And by then I'd be frozen at the bottom of the ocean-"

"No, no! Please don't do that!" Korra lay down in the snow next to Asami, both arms around her. "I would be so sad if you did that, Asami."

Asami cried so hard her shoulders shook, but no noise came out for a long time. She rocked back and forth in the snow, holding the elbow patches on her coat. When she finally made a sound, it was just a tiny, high-pitched squeak that reminded Mako of a newborn kitten. He stared helplessly from the back of Asami's head to Korra's worried face. When Korra noticed him, her expression grew angry again.

"Why are you just standing there?" Korra yelled. "Go get my mom! Go get Pema, or Kya, or Katara! STOP BEING USELESS AND GO GET SOMEBODY!"

Mako turned and ran back to the party. It felt like it took him hours to find the grownups, who were hidden away inside Korra's parents' home. Pema was nursing Rohan and laughing with Kya and Senna, while Tenzin, Bumi, and Tonraq were heatedly discussing pro-bending in the living room.

"I need help!" Mako shouted, panting more from adrenaline than exertion. "Something's wrong with Asami!"

All the adults were on their feet before he finished speaking.

"What's wrong?"

"What happened?"

Katara emerged from a bedroom, a story book in her arms and her three older grandchildren peeking out behind her.

"She wants to jump off a cliff!" Mako didn't care if he sounded panicked. "Korra is trying to convince her not to!"

Pema thrust Rohan into Katara's arms and sprinted out the door before anyone else had the chance to react. Korra's mom followed Pema. Mako wasn't sure how they knew where to go, but they somehow headed in exactly the right direction. Maybe mothers were like messenger hawks, always magnetized toward the people who needed them most.

The others all hounded Mako with too many questions for him, so he simply ran back out the door. They all followed him, minus Katara and the airbender kids.

By the time Mako led the group back to Naga, Asami was in the middle of a group hug. She was still crying, but it was a calmer, less terrifying kind of crying. She was facing away from them.

"None of that is beyond fixing," Senna was saying as the others approached. "And none of that is worth ending your life."

"I'm just so scared and overwhelmed. I feel like I have so much on top of me that I can't breathe."

"We'll help you take care of things, sweetie." Pema patted Asami's back. "I know plenty of women who have had the operation. It's not as bad as you're afraid."

"I know, I just thought… I hoped Mako would be there to help me get through this! I'm so stupid!"

"You're not stupid!" Korra protested. "You're the smartest person I've ever met."

"I'm sure Mako didn't mean what he said," Pema said.

Great, Mako thought. Pema and Senna would probably hate him now that Asami-or perhaps it'd been Korra- had recapped the conversation for them.

"He was just jealous," Korra said. "And I know it's not the same, but I'm here for you. Whatever you need, whether he dumps you or not."

"I'm sure he won't dump you," Senna said. "He sure acts like he's in love. Give him a chance to apologize for being a jerk before you give up on the relationship."

"No, there _is_ no relationship," Asami wept. "He doesn't love me at all. He's only dating me out of guilt, because he recruited the men who did those awful things to me. But soon he'll realize it wasn't his fault, and he'll be gone."

"Shh, shh," Senna said, both to soothe Asami and because she'd noticed their audience.

Neither Asami nor Korra seemed to take the hint.

"Asami, why do you think Mako doesn't love you?" Korra asked. "Aside from what just happened, I mean."

"When I try to talk to him about my fears, he doesn't respond! I don't think he even listens to me most of the time. He's just waiting for me to pull myself together, and then he'll be gone."

Mako was stunned. He'd thought he was being a good listener, nodding and letting Asami talk without interruption.

Tenzin cleared his throat. "There you are," he said, as if they'd just stumbled upon Asami and the others. "I'm glad we found you. It's quite cold out here."

"Yeah, we should get Asami inside," Korra said. "I don't want her to freeze…"

Asami stumbled to her feet. Kya glanced at the long distance they had to cross. Snow flurries were fluttering across the expanse.

"I think Mako wants to carry Asami," Kya said. "He was pretty worried about her."

"Oh, yeah," Mako said. "Asami, can I please carry you?"

She nodded. He scooped her up with a little help from Bumi, and then their whole party set off toward town.

"I always wanted you to carry me like this," Asami mused, throwing an unsteady arm behind Mako's neck. "Ever since I saw you carrying Korra."

"Oh," he said, not sure what else to say. "Asami… I'm really, really sorry about what I said. I didn't mean it."

"I know," she said. "You're just trying to get me to break up with you so you don't have to be the one to do it."

"What?! No!" His forehead wrinkled. "I don't know what I'd do if you broke up with me. I was jealous because…" Why had he been jealous, anyway? "Uh… because… I'm so in love with you, and you seemed so happy. I was afraid you'd get upset if you stayed outside. I thought maybe if I was mean enough, you'd go inside and stay happy."

Yeah, that sounded pretty good.

"That makes no sense." Asami frowned up at the stars. "You made me cry so I'd be happy?"

"I know. I'm an idiot."

"Yes."

"But I would never do anything to hurt you!"

"That's all you've done since I met you." Asami shut her eyes and didn't say anything else.

A stunned silence followed her words. Mako couldn't even hear the partiers or the whistling wind anymore.

"Ouch," Bumi finally whispered. "Is she that mean sober?"

Mako stared down at Asami's face, feeling rather than hearing the crunch, crunch under his feet. He glanced at Korra, who was plodding along even more hunched over than he was. Neither of them had meant to hurt Asami so badly. They just hadn't thought about her. Mako hadn't even realized his actions had wounded Asami so deeply. He was pretty sure getting stabbed in the gut would have hurt less than what Asami had just said.

They spilled inside the wind-free warmth of the house, and Asami startled awake. She didn't seem to remember where she was, and she flailed like she wanted to be put down. Mako set her on her feet, holding her arms to keep her upright.

"Let's get you lying down, sweetie," Senna said.

"Do you want me to keep you company?" Korra offered.

"But the party-" Asami began.

"Fuck the party," Korra said. "You're more important."

Lin ducked in behind the rest of the group.

"There you are," Lin said to Korra. "People are asking where the avatar is."

"Tell them I had avatar duties to take care of," Korra said. "I'm gonna lie down with Asami for a while."

Mako started to follow the girls to the bedroom, but Tonraq grabbed his shoulder. Mako looked up and found himself staring at too many adults to successfully fight.

"We need to talk," Tenzin said.

o0o0o

Katara and Bumi took the kids out to enjoy the party, while the others pulled chairs into the living room and sat in a circle. From the way everyone stared at Mako, he might as well have been in the middle of the circle rather than the darkest corner of the room. He slumped down in his seat and scowled.

"We've all been a little busy lately, with Harmonic Convergence." Kya leaned forward on her knees. "But it sounds like you and Asami have been through some hard times, and we want to support you two any way we can."

Tenzin added, "If there's one thing I learned from my father, it's that Team Avatar is every bit as important as the avatar. And you two have helped protect not only the world, but my wife and children."

"Yes, but we would care about you even if you weren't part of Team Avatar," Kya said pointedly. "I know it might be hard, but could you tell us what happened so we can know how to help?"

Mako was forced to tell them the same lie Asami had told Lin weeks before, or at least what he could remember. He recounted the story in short, halting sentences pried from his reluctant jaw.

"We went for a walk," Mako said. "Some gangsters mugged us."

"I see."

There was a long pause, and then Lin said, "Go on, Mako. If you can't trust the people in this room, you can't trust anyone."

Mako chewed on the inside of his mouth. He should have paid better attention to Asami's story.

"One of the gangsters recognized me."

A few people blinked at him in confusion.

"As a cop," Mako explained. "They tied us up-"

"Did they take you anywhere?" Lin interjected.

"Huh?"

"Did they take you into a building, or did they assault you on the street?"

Mako panicked. He couldn't remember what Asami had already told Lin.

"I don't remember," he lied. "They beat me up, bad. I just remember…"

There was another long pause.

Lin tapped her fingers on the table. "Yes?"

Mako looked down at his feet, trying to pretend his boss wasn't in the room. "They took turns… hurting her. They burned her knees until she-"

He clamped his mouth shut, afraid to seem too emotional. Someone put a hand on his shoulder. Mako yanked away from the touch, only to feel badly when he realized Senna was the one sitting next to him. He sighed and continued.

"I don't know how many hours it went on," he said. "And I wasn't awake for everything they did. But I know they hurt her with waterbending, and now she's scared of it. That's what we were fighting about a few minutes ago. She wanted to stay with Korra and watch the waterbenders, but I was scared she'd get upset if she did. She couldn't leave the house for weeks after it happened. We didn't go out in public until a week ago."

Kya opened her mouth to speak, but Tonraq's voice shook the windows instead.

"This is outrageous!" he said. "What kind of cesspool is Republic City if the avatar's closest friends can be raped and beaten on a street corner?! Why didn't anyone intervene?! What are the police doing to find these bastards?!"

"Nothing," Lin said. "We found them already."

"And what kind of jail time are they facing?" Tonraq demanded.

"None," Lin said. "Someone took justice into their own hands, although probably not for this particular offense. Random inter-gang violence, most likely."

"Someone killed the gangsters who hurt Korra's friends?" Tenzin asked in surprise.

"Yes. That's not the part that confuses me, though." Lin narrowed her eyes. "A lot of things don't add up here. How many gangsters total?"

"Five," Mako said.

"And how many of them raped Asami?"

He slumped down in his seat. "All of them."

"And you say they grabbed the two of you while you were minding your own business?"

"Yes."

"What part of town were you in?" Lin asked. "Were you near gang territory? Is there any chance they're targeting new areas?"

"Lin," Kya said patiently.

"Uh, I don't remember." Mako began to sweat, despite the chill.

"How did the two of you escape, especially if you were so badly hurt? I've lost two good officers to gang muggings this year in situations almost identical to yours. The stories were all over the papers."

That was probably where Asami had gotten the idea from. Mako was increasingly panicking over this interrogation. He couldn't tell them the whole story, because then he'd lose his job and Asami might go to jail for perjury. He looked from Lin's impassable face to Kya's sympathetic one, and a shameful plan formed in his mind.

"Asami saved me!" He covered his head with his hands. "She could have gotten away, but she stayed and let them hurt her so they wouldn't kill me! It's all my fault! I wish they would have just killed me so I wouldn't have had to lie there, listening to her scream for hours while they- while they choked her and bit her breasts and, and fucked her until she bled and-" He faked a sob and stopped talking, feeling like the biggest con artist in the world. He was upset, just not as upset as he was pretending.

"Okay, I think we've probably asked enough questions," Kya said. "Lin, could you get Mako some water?"

The familiarity with which Kya addressed Lin intrigued Mako, but he supposed they had grown up together. Lin shoved a cup of water into Mako's hand. He drank a few sips and then looked around for a place to put it. Senna took the cup from him. He barely looked at anyone, because they were all looking at him with pity.

"I know that must have been hard to talk about," Kya said. "But I really appreciate you telling us."

He nodded curtly.

Tenzin spoke up. "Mako, there's no shame in feeling upset after a trauma like this. I still have nightmares about Amon capturing my family. And when Jinora-" he paused, rubbing his throat like there was something caught in it. "It's painful when bad things happen to people we care about, especially when we're helpless to stop it. It'll take time for both of you to heal."

"I don't need time to heal!" Mako crossed his arms. "I'm fine now."

Kya sighed. "Okay, fine. But Asami clearly isn't."

"She's just sick from the stress," Mako insisted. "Her company is going under, and she has injuries from the attack. But I'm taking care of her!"

"We know you are," Senna soothed him. "It just seems like there might be something else going on. Maybe she's having some other female health issues that she's too embarrassed or upset over to tell you about?"

Mako shrugged. Asami _had_ told Korra lots of secrets she hadn't told Mako.

"I'm sure you're doing a great job, but this might be more than one person can fix," Kya said. "Our number one priority is keeping Asami from actually jumping off a cliff. If that means you have to accept a little help taking care of her, you're gonna have to deal with it."

When she put it like that, Mako realized how stupid he must sound to them. He sighed and nodded.

"Can you think of anything specific that's worrying her?" Kya asked. "Is there anything we adults might be able to help with?"

"Money," Mako admitted. "Her company is deep in the red, and she's pretty much out of options now that Varrick's assets are frozen. She can barely afford to go to the midwife."

He felt a bit like a traitor for telling them Asami's secrets, but he squashed the guilt down. If anyone besides him were going to help Asami, it would be these people- and they were in a much better position to actually do something.

"We can definitely help with that," Kya said, and the other adults nodded in agreement. "I don't know if we can save her company, but we can make sure she has food, shelter, and medical care. Anything else you can think of?"

Mako shook his head.

"Okay," Kya said. "We'll start there. What about you? How are you holding up?"

"I'm completely fine," Mako said, sounding more defensive than he meant to. "I only took time off work to take care of Asami. I don't need any help."

"I'm glad to hear it," Kya said. "If you need help in the future, you know you can ask any of us, right?"

"Yeah, sure," Mako said. "Thanks for the talk. I'm going to bed."

o0o0o

Korra was snoring next to Asami when Mako went to bed. He sighed and climbed in behind Asami, who startled awake at his touch.

"It's just me," he said.

"Oh," she said, and was asleep again within seconds.

Mako wished he could fall asleep that easily. He stayed awake for at least an hour, replaying his talk with the adults and wondering how angry Asami would be when she found out about it. He fell asleep rehearsing conversations with her, all of which seemed to take place in his apartment.

Asami woke up Mako and Korra early the next morning by stumbling into the bathroom to throw up. They followed her, despite not feeling particularly great themselves. Mako felt old and cranky from lack of sleep. Korra seemed a little woozy, but it was hard to tell whether she was hung over or just her usual, not-a-morning-person self. She sat on the edge of the bathtub, holding Asami's hair with one hand and rubbing her own sleepy eyes with the other.

"We've got this," Kya said from the doorway.

Mako and Korra exchanged sleepy looks.

"Shoo, both of you," Senna said. "We need to talk to Asami privately."

Mako and Korra left the bathroom, but they both hung around outside the closed door to make sure Asami was okay.

"I am so, so sorry about yesterday," Asami moaned as soon as there was a break in the retching. "I have a vague memory of making a completely fool of myself in front of half the tribe. I'm so embarrassed. I obviously don't drink very often."

"You were fine," Senna assured her. "Please don't worry about it."

"Remind me to tell you someday about the time I got drunk and threw up on my dad's ancient artifact," Kya said.

"All right, I don't think I was quite that bad." Asami said.

Mako could hear the smile in her voice.

"No, you weren't," Kya said. "But we-all of us adults- have been putting together things you and Mako have said, and we're worried about you."

"You've been through so much lately."

That was the last Mako heard of their conversation.

"Don't just stand there," Katara chided Mako and Korra as she passed them in the hall. "Come eat."

Breakfast was even more awkward than Mako had imagined. Everyone else was somehow already up and gathered around two breakfast tables by the time he and Korra walked in. Even Bolin was there, stuffing his face with meat and pastries.

"Hey guys!" he said with his mouth full. "You have to try this cake thing Korra's mom made. It's so good."

Mako and Korra both picked at their food, even though it was as delicious as Bolin had said.

"How did you sleep?" Pema asked, nursing Rohan and wiping Meelo's face at the same time.

Mako shrugged. "Okay, I guess."

"I woke up in the middle of the night, but I fell back asleep eventually," Korra said.

"The same thing happened to me!" Bolin said. "I think it was the alcohol wearing off."

Katara passed by Mako and Korra's seats, rubbing Mako's shoulder surreptitiously before sitting down next to Pema and pulling Meelo onto her lap. Mako wondered if someone had told Katara about the whole mess from last night, and then he realized what a stupid question that was. Of course someone had told her. Katara was the matriarch of the last avatar's family, and, aside from Korra, was probably the person most invested in the new Team Avatar. Meelo melted out of Katara's arms and under the table, and Mako almost joined him.

"Is Asami sick?" Ikki asked suddenly. "Are we going to get sick too?"

"I think Asami just drank a little too much yesterday," Pema answered.

"Maybe she has a baby in her tummy," Meelo said from under the table. "Mommy, remember how much you threw up when Rohan was in your tummy? BLARGH! BLUGH!" Meelo made barfing noises until Jinora kicked him, prompting a loud, "OW! MOMMY!"

"Behave, both of you," Pema ordered. "What did we talk about on the trip here?"

"Being haved like Roh-Tan and Juji," Meelo said. "I am being haved like Roh-Tan! I'm under the table like a arctic panda! Nuk, nuk, feed me cakes!"

Pema took a cake and held it under the table. Meelo made noisy eating sounds.

"Good morning, Asami," Tonraq boomed, startling Mako and a few other people at the table. Korra's father had been so quiet all morning that Mako had almost forgotten he was there.

Asami looked more put together than most of the people at the table. Her face was freshly washed, her hair was combed into a neat bun at her neck, and she was wearing clean clothes. Mako felt grimy looking at her. Senna and Kya made a place at the table for Asami and then sat down on either side of her.

"How are you feeling this morning?" Tenzin asked.

"Fine, thank you," Asami said, and everyone pretended right along with her that she hadn't just spent fifteen minutes throwing up.

"Ready for another big day of drinking?" Bumi teased.

Korra and Bolin groaned. Asami wrinkled her nose.

"I'll pass," Asami said. "I don't think I'm very good at being drunk."

"Probably better not to go up against pros like me and Kya," Bumi agreed. "We're drinking champions both here and in Republic City."

"I don't know about that," Kya said. "Remember Su? Founding Day, right before you went off and joined the Second Division?"

"Oh right." Bumi stroked his beard. "I've never been able to look at noodles the same way since that night."

Tenzin cleared his throat. "Asami, we're very glad you came all the way to the Southern Water Tribe for the party. And I still haven't thanked you and Mako for protecting my wife and children during Harmonic Convergence."

"Oh, it was really nothing," Asami said. "Korra did most of the protecting. Mako and I just watched the show with them."

"Still, I'm very grateful," Tenzin said. "If there's any way I can return the favor, please don't hesitate to let me or Pema know."

Mako realized that Tenzin was giving Asami a way to ask for help without feeling like she was asking for charity.

"Thank you," Asami said. "I appreciate it, even though I certainly don't feel as if I did anything to deserve it."

o0o0o

Asami went back to bed after breakfast, and she stayed there until nearly dinnertime. Mako sulked around the house, annoyed that the adults wouldn't let him check on Asami several times an hour. They seemed to think they were giving him a break, but all they were doing was making him more stressed out. When she finally woke up, Katara took a tray to her, and the two of them spent close to an hour talking.

By the time Katara told Mako he could see Asami, he was convinced that his girlfriend was dying or breaking up with him. Or maybe both. He stood in the doorway for a long time, just watching Asami. She was ladling up leftover broth with her spoon and then pouring it back into the bowl, staring at the liquid like she was watching the fountain in Republic City Park. He wiped his hands on his pants as he entered the room and closed the door.

"I don't feel like talking anymore," she said without looking up. "I'm tired."

He didn't point out the obvious, that she'd slept for nearly twenty hours with only one interruption. He sat at the foot her her bed, his face pointed at the window. He couldn't see anything out the window except white and the occasional glint of dark blue.

"That's fine," he said. "I didn't really come here to talk. Are you okay?"

"Yes."

"Are we okay?"

"I don't know," she said. "Are we?"

"I know I said some horrible things-"

"You really did."

"I'm so sorry." He looked at her over his shoulder. "I didn't mean a single word, I swear. I feel like the biggest jerk in the world. But please don't break up with me over what I said. I'll do anything to make it up to you."

"I don't care about that," Asami said. "Well, I do, actually. What you said hurt me worse than the Triple Threats, if only because I actually care what you think."

Mako groaned and buried his face in his hands. He really was the worst boyfriend ever.

"Mako, I don't want you to stay with me out of some false sense of duty or obligation," Asami continued. "If you don't love me-"

"I do love you!" he exploded. "How can you think I don't? I cook for you, I take you to the doctor, I look for intruders when you have nightmares! I even-" He lowered his voice suddenly. "I killed the people who hurt you so they could never do it again. I take care of you all the time! Sure, I don't always know what to say when you talk to me, but I always listen! I would do anything you asked me to, Asami."

She shoved her tray out of the way and sat on her knees next to him. Her soft hand caressed his cheek.

"I think I understand," she said.

Her kiss felt like lying down after a twelve-hour shift at the power plant.


	7. Chapter 7

Asami spent most of the trip back to Republic City seasick. Even with Korra and Kya and Pema there to help, taking care of Asami kept Mako so busy he had very little time to get sucked into his bad memories of being on Varrick's other ship. The only exception happened on the last night of the trip, when all the women gathered together on the pedicure deck and kicked the boys out.

"It's not fair," Meelo complained as their group wandered up the stairs. "Boys get stinky feet too." He dropped onto the floor and sniffed his shoe. "Ew! How come Rohan gets to stay? He's a boy!"

"Rohan gets to stay because he's a baby," Tenzin said. "He has to stay with your mother to drink milk."

"I remember when I was the baby and I got to drink all the milk." Meelo sighed. "That was the life."

"So, now what should we do?" Bumi asked. "Anyone for a game of Pai Sho?"  
"No, I should get Meelo to bed," Tenzin said.

"Awww." Meelo pouted as Tenzin picked him up.

"I'll play Pai Sho with you!" Bolin said.

"I have a ship to patrol," said Lin, who'd opted out of pedicures.

"Oh, good idea," Mako said. "I'll patrol too."

There was no threat to guard against, now that the spirits were quiet and the war was ended. Nonetheless, Mako walked around and around the ship, fighting off bad memories with every new deck. He ended up lying on the deck, staring up at the stars and losing himself in his thoughts.

"Mako? Are you all right?"

Mako sat straight up.

"Uh, yes," he said. "I'm fine. I was just… What time is it?"

"Late," Asami said. "I went back to our room, but you weren't there."

"Sorry," he said. "You shouldn't be walking around alone out here."

"I don't think I'm in any danger," she said. "Are you sure you're all right?"

"Yes! I'm fine." He stared out at the dizzyingly black waters. "Go back to the room."

She stroked his hair. "I can't sleep without you," she said. "Come lie down with me so I feel safe."

He didn't feel like lying down, but he couldn't turn her down when she put it like that. Besides, she usually only invited him to bed when she wanted to get him naked, and he was in the mood to be cheered up.

Once they were in bed, however, Asami rolled over with her back to him. Confused, Mako kissed the back of her neck.

"Mm," she said, grabbing his arm and pulling it around her waist. "Good night."

He kissed her again, this time behind her ear. When she didn't respond, he rubbed up against her back.

"Mako-" Asami rolled over. "I'm tired."

"Oh," he said. "Sorry. I guess I misunderstood."

"There's no point now," she said.

"Huh?"

"It's too late. I would know it wasn't- I'm sorry. I just don't feel like it."

"Okay. Sorry for assuming. I'm just... confused. I can't figure you out lately. "

"I'm sorry. I was trying to figure some things out."

"It's okay. Do you want me to rub your back?"

"Actually, that would be great," Asami said. "Thank you."

Mako fell asleep before her, and he woke the next morning before her as well. The commotion of the crew's pre-docking routine startled him awake. He fetched some plain rice porridge before shaking Asami awake, and then he packed their suitcases while she ate.

"I'm excited to be off the ship," Asami said.

Mako nodded his agreement.

"I need to check on the company first thing," she went on. "Are you working today?"

"Yeah, if we get to port on time."

"What time do you get off work?"

"No clue."

"Well, I need to be at the midwife's before six. I want to get this operation over as soon as possible. Do you think you can meet me there at five-thirty?"

"I'll try," Mako said.

Asami poked her porridge with her spoon. "I can't wait to put all this behind me. With any luck at all, this nightmare will be over by dinnertime."

Mako didn't know exactly what she meant, but he'd decided to be as supportive as possible. "We should do something fun this weekend," he said. "If you're feeling up for it."

Asami's face brightened. "What did you have in mind?"

"I was thinking we could catch a mover," Mako said. "Or if you're stuck in bed, I could bring you Kwong's."

"That's sweet of you," Asami said. "I'd love to do something this weekend. I have a feeling I'll need a distraction. I have a lot of work to do this week, and I know the operation won't be fun."

Mako almost asked her what kind of operation she was having, but he was afraid she might have told him and he hadn't been paying good enough attention, so he bit his tongue at the last minute.

"Whatever you want to do," he said. "I'm going to make up for being such a terrible boyfriend."

She smiled and rummaged through her makeup case for an eye pencil. "You'd better," she teased. "I expect popcorn at the movers."

A half hour later, Mako carried their luggage to the gangway and found Korra, Tenzin, and Lin surrounded by reporters.

"No, the Southern Water Tribe will remain independent," Korra was saying. "My father has been elected as the new chief."

"What about things in Republic City?" A reporter asked.

"What about them?" Lin snapped.

"Why are we having earthquakes? When will the tremors stop?"

"I… I don't know anything about that," Korra admitted. "But I promise I'll investigate them."

"Is it true that Republic City might not have sustained so much damage if you'd stopped Unalaq earlier?"

"I don't know!" Korra held her hands up. "I did the best I could, and if that's not good enough, well-"

"No more questions," Tenzin said. "The avatar has important business to tend to."

They pushed through the crowd. Mako and Asami followed their path.

"Mako, Asami, is it true you two are dating again?"

"Asami, tell us about your breakdown at the Southern Water Tribe!"

"Ms. Sato, would you care to comment on these rumors about your scandal with the Triple Threats?"

"Yes, I would." Asami smiled politely at the reporters, not slowing down her pace at all. "I'd like to commend your phenomenal imaginations and your dedication to increasing your papers' revenue! I think you may have strained credibility, though, even for The Chronicle. Six gangsters, really? I'm afraid I don't have nearly as much free time as you all seem to have."

As she spoke the last word, she pushed past the last of them and straightened. She strode off, leaving them to jot down notes.

Mako put his arm around Asami's shoulders. She was shaking.

"You okay?" he asked.

She nodded.

"That was pretty good," he said.

"Hopefully they'll stop printing those awful stories," she said. "Do you want to go back to Air Temple Island?"

"Yeah, let's ride back with Tenzin's family-"

The ground rumbled underneath them, and Asami grabbed Mako's arm. The shaking stopped nearly as soon as it had started.

"Was that thunder?" Mako asked.

"I don't think so." Asami frowned. "I thought the tremors would've stopped by now."

"Me too."

They settled into their room on Air Temple Island in less than an hour. Asami planted a kiss on Mako's cheek and set off for her factory. Mako stayed behind to change into his new green detective's uniform. He was straightening his collar when there was a soft knock on the door.

"Come in."

"Oh, don't you look sharp?" Pema beamed at him. "First day back at the job?"

"Yeah." Mako tugged at his collar. "First day as a detective."

Pema nudged his hands out of the way and fixed his collar for him. "I'm sure you'll do great," she said. "I'll make something special for dinner."

"Maybe you should wait until tomorrow," Mako said. "That'll be my first full day."

"If you insist." Pema licked her finger and thumb and smoothed a cowlick in Mako's hair.

"Plus, uh, Asami has her thing at the midwife's tonight." Mako watched Pema's face for any hints. "I don't know how she'll feel afterward."

"Oh, I almost forgot the whole reason I came here!" Pema reached into her pocket and held up a stack of yuans. "Is Asami gone already?"

"You just missed her," Mako said.

"Oh, bother. Are you going to the midwife with her?"

"Yes."

"Hold onto this for her, if you don't mind." Pema handed him the money. "You can tell her it's from me, or you can pretend it's yours. You know Asami best. Do whatever you think will make her feel most loved."

"I will." Mako stuffed the bills into his wallet.

"There might be a little extra," Pema said. "It was hard to get an exact price out of anyone."

"I'll bring you the change," Mako assured her.

"No, no, don't worry about it!" Pema said. "Buy her some flowers or a nice dinner, if she's up for it. She'll probably need some extra love and care after the operation."

"I know," Mako said.

He almost asked her what was wrong with Asami, but then he remembered how close the two of them were. The last thing he wanted was to walk in on them giggling and shushing each other. Or worse-Asami might get mad at him.

"Well… I'd better get going," he said. "Thanks."

"Have a good day!" Pema patted his cheek on top of where Asami had kissed him.

o0o0o

There was too much to do, and nothing Mako could actually work on without training, so he spent the whole day cleaning and organizing his new desk. Jun ran by every few hours to drop something on her desk or snatch something out of a drawer, but he didn't even have a chance to say hello to her. When the clock finally ticked five-fifteen, he shrugged and walked to the midwife's.

He reached the midwife's block the same time Asami reached the opposite end. He met her a few steps past the midwife's door.

"You made it," she said as he kissed her forehead.

"Did you think I wouldn't?"

"You didn't seem very committed earlier."

"I wasn't sure they'd let me go," Mako said. "I had a slow day, though. Are you ready to go inside?"

She inhaled and nodded.

The older lady from before was joined by a much younger woman that afternoon. She didn't seem much older than Mako or Asami. She wore a ribbon pinned to her apron that read "apprentice."

The old woman saw Mako, and her face instantly went tight.

"Good afternoon," Asami greeted them. "I was here before, but I need-"

"No, no, we don't do that kind of operation here." The woman's eyes darted from Asami's face to the insignia on Mako's uniform.

"There must be some kind of mistake," Asami said, sounding as puzzled as Mako. "I came here before, and you said you would do the operation if the herbs didn't work for me. Please, I'm really desperate, and you come highly recommended."

The old woman was looking at Mako with a kind of nervousness he would have expected to see from a handcuffed smuggler, not a white-haired midwife.

Mako looked down at his police uniform. "Look, I don't care about your permits or anything else," he said. "I'm not here on police business. I'm just here to support my girlfriend."

The woman shook her head. "I don't do that kind of operation."

"Okay, well… I'm going to go outside for a while," Mako said. "If you happen to take my girlfriend in the back for a totally legal midwife session while I'm gone, I'll wait out here until I can pay and take her home."

He kissed Asami's forehead and left the office. He loitered on the sidewalk for ten minutes, watching the people hurrying by. He half expected Asami to join him, frustrated but determined to make it to another midwife's office before they closed for the day. When she didn't come out after nearly a half hour, he went back inside. Asami and the midwife were gone, their voices drifting from the back room.

"This will make you feel calm and sleepy. I won't buckle you in until you're relaxed."

"Thank you." Asami sounded relieved. "I'm sorry to be so much trouble."

"It's no trouble at all. As long as you're strapped in before I begin the operation, it doesn't matter if we do it now or in a little while."

"How come you don't want to be strapped down?" the younger woman asked. "It can't be that terrible."

"I don't feel safe being restrained," Asami said diplomatically. "I'm afraid I'll get too anxious."

"Oh, I see. Did you have a bad experience? With men?"

There was an uncomfortable pause.

"Yes."

"That doesn't surprise me," the young woman said. "A pretty thing like you? I'm sure they couldn't help themselves. I guess that's an occupational hazard of being beautiful, isn't it?"

It had probably been meant as a compliment, but Asami didn't thank the apprentice.

"How soon will the medicine start working?" she asked.

"Just a few minutes now."

Mako sprawled across two chairs, tapping his thumbs together. He should have brought one of Jinora's books. He hoped this operation didn't take very long.

"How are you feeling?" the midwife asked after a few moments.

"Dizzy," Asami said. "Sweaty..."

"Are you ready for me to strap you in?"

"No! No, get your fucking hands off of me! I won't do it! I won't!"

There was a crash, and Asami swore enough to put Chief Beifong to shame. Mako rushed into the room. A tray of hooks and pliers was scattered across the floor, but no one seemed to be hurt. The midwife was standing by the table, holding her hands out as if trying to reason with a wild animal. The apprentice was under the table, covering her head with her hands.

"I want to go home!" Asami scanned the room as if looking for an escape route. "I have to get out of here! I have to-"

Asami braced herself against the corners of the room, her legs unsteady. Her eyes were glazed over, unfocused but furious. Mako had never seen her so hateful. He wouldn't have believed she was capable of it, if he weren't seeing it with his own eyes.

"I thought the drugs were supposed to make her calm!" he shouted.

"Sometimes they have the opposite effect on people," the midwife said. "I've only seen it a few times in all my years. Take her home and try to keep her resting. She'll be fine by tomorrow."

"Asami?" Mako took a step toward her. "Hey, Asami, it's me. Do you know where you are?"

"I want to go home!" She wobbled and pushed her hand flat against the stone wall. "I don't want to be here!"

"Okay, we're going," Mako said. "Come on, I'll take you home."

She took his hand, and he pulled her out of the building as fast as he could. It was only once he reached the sidewalk that he remembered that he'd walked to work.

"Did you drive here?" Mako asked.

She stared at him suspiciously. "Why?"

"So we can get home faster. Is your car close?"

She pointed toward a parking lot two blocks over. Mako pulled her there, grateful that she was apparently too distrustful to make a scene in front of the rush hour pedestrian traffic. When they arrived at her car, he frowned.

"Do you have the keys?"

"I'll drive," she said.

"Uhh… no, that's okay. I'll do it."

"Mako!"

He sensed so she was about to erupt, so he made up the best lie he could.

"I just want to get you home as fast as possible, and the police won't pull me over for speeding. Because I'm a detective."

"Oh." Asami's forehead wrinkled in concentration. "I guess that does make sense."

She handed him her keys and jumped over the passenger side door. Her coordination was off, however, so she landed on her side, stunned, her head resting in the driver's seat. Mako pressed his lips together to keep from laughing. Her confused expression made it especially hard to keep a straight face.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"I can't feel my ears." Her hand groped her ear in jerky movements. "Are they still there?"

"Yup." Mako pushed her into an upright position and got into the driver's seat. "Which home are we going to?" Mako started the car. "The loft? The estate? Air Temple Island?"

She stared up at the sky, ostensibly not hearing him. He shrugged and started the car. Air Temple Island and the estate were both in the same general direction from where they were. He left Asami alone until he was about to pass the turn for the Air Temple Island ferry.

"Asami?" he glanced at her and then back at the road. "Where am I going?"

"Home," she said.

Mako gulped and drove her to the estate. Thankfully, she didn't get angry when they pulled up to the gate. As soon as he parked the car in front of the main entrance, she stumbled into the front door and slammed it behind her. By the time he found her again, she'd thrown herself onto her bed, fully dressed down to her shoes. She was staring at the ceiling and twitching her feet back and forth off the end of the bed. Her arms were stretched straight out to either side.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"Staying afloat," she said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"Do you want your shoes off?"

"Why?"

"So you don't get the bed dirty?"

"Hm?"

"So you're more comfortable?"

Silence.

"Your shoes will fill up with water and drag you down," Mako said. "Let me take them off for you."

The feet stopped kicking.

"Sure."

Mako hastily loosened her boots and pulled them off, followed by her stockings. She immediately resumed kicking her feet gently, as if she were floating down a stream. Mako shrugged and got ready for bed, checking on her every few seconds. She didn't move from that one spot, but her feet kept moving. She waved her arms across the bedspread periodically. Mako finally turned off the lights and lay down on top of the quilt with her. He lay diagonally on the bed, using her stomach as a pillow and draping his arm over her. "Is that okay?"

"Hm," she said.

Mako closed his eyes. He hated the feeling that his feet were hanging off the edge of a ship, rather than the bed, like a shark might come along and munch off one of his feet.

Just as the midwife had said, Asami was fine when she woke up the next morning. Mako was relieved that he wouldn't have to call Korra or Pema to watch her while he was at work. Asami didn't remember anything past the midwife's table, but she was ravenous and not even a little nauseated.

"It's depressing." Asami stabbed her noodles with her chopsticks.

"Why?"

"Because now I have literally no choice except to use a waterbender," Asami said. "I'm just going to have to get over it."

"Maybe Korra can help," Mako said.

"How?"

"Maybe she can practice waterbending in a non-threatening way until you're not afraid of it."

Asami cringed. "I don't know."

"Well, is this operation really that important?" Mako asked. "What would happen if you just didn't get it done? Would you die?"

Asami bit her lip. "No… but-"

"Would you have health problems for the rest of your life?"

"No, I would be fine after a few months. But Mako-"

"I'm not saying you shouldn't do it." He took her left hand in his, warming her cold fingers with his hands. "But maybe if you don't feel like you have to go through with it, you won't be so scared of it. It's not ideal, but you could just choose not to do it, right?"

"I could," she said. "I… I guess I could find some excuse to be gone for a few months. It would be tricky with my business, but if I win this contract, I could hire people… And Senna did say I could stay with her and Tonraq if all else failed. It doesn't get more secluded than that. I could have telephone meetings, and I could mail any important documents… You're right. I guess the world wouldn't end if I didn't go through with it."

Before Mako had a chance to congratulate himself for being such a good boyfriend, Asami burst into tears.

"What's wrong?" he asked, bewildered.

"I don't want to be like those girls in my class," she cried. "I don't want to leave everything and everyone I love. I don't want to live in shame and secrecy for the rest of my life."

Mako didn't know what to do, so he hugged her until she stopped crying. The egg smoked on the stove. Mako swore and moved the skillet to another burner.

"Let's invite Korra over." Asami wiped her eyes. "If anyone can help me feel safe around waterbending, it's her."

"Okay." Mako scraped the blackened egg into the sink. "Tonight?"

"We can't do it tonight," Asami reminded him. "Pema invited us over for dinner."

"Oh, right." Mako had almost forgotten. "Do you want to pick me up and go there together after I get off work? Or should I take the car and pick you up? Or-?"

"I'll pick you up from work," Asami said. "Call me at lunchtime and tell me when. Just don't forget and wander off somewhere."

"I won't," he promised.

o0o0o

Mako didn't remember telling Pema what his favorite foods were, but they were waiting for him at Air Temple Island all the same. He suspected Asami had something to do with it, but she was impossible to read, sipping her tea and chatting with Ikki on her right and Kya on her left. They all ate until they couldn't eat any more, and then they reclined on their cushions.

"Well," Tenzin said pointedly. "That was a lovely dinner, Pema. I suppose we should all stretch our legs for a minute after such a delightful feast."

Jinora caught his eye and nodded.

"Who wants to play a game of air scooter?" She jumped onto her feet, formed a ball of air, and hopped onto it, speeding out of the room. "Race you!"

Ikki, Meelo, and Korra all leapt to their feet and followed Jinora's lead.

"Come back!"

"No fair!"

"Don't make me go into the avatar state!"

Something crashed in the hallway, and then there was silence as the voices faded into the distance."

Pema cleared her throat. "Asami, sweetie, could you help me with the dishes?"

"Of course," Asami said.

She helped Pema gather the dishes from the table, and then the two women disappeared into the kitchen. Mako only realized it was a trap once he found himself alone opposite Tenzin, Kya, and Bumi.

"How are things going?" Kya asked, a little too casually.  
"Fine."

"How was 'Operation Operation'?" Bumi asked. "Asami seems to be recovering fast."

"She couldn't get it done," Mako hid behind his teacup. "The medicine made her angry instead of sleepy. She has to go to a waterbender instead."

"I see," Kya said. "How are you holding up?"

"I'm fine." Mako tried to melt through the floor. "Working a lot."

"How is work?" Tenzin asked. "I hope Lin isn't pushing you too hard."

"No, I have a lot more control over my schedule now that I'm a detective," Mako said. "Besides, I like staying busy. Asami is gone a lot for work too, and I like my job."

"Good, good," Tenzin said. "I'm glad to hear it."

There was a long, awkward silence.

"Um." Mako scratched the back of his neck. It was now or never. "If I ask you guys a really stupid question, do you promise not to tell anyone? Not Pema, not Korra, definitely not Asami?"

The siblings had a brief conversation with their eyes, and then Tenzin nodded. "What's on your mind?"

Mako blew a breath out of his nostrils. "What exactly is wrong with Asami? I mean, what operation does she need, and why is it such a big deal? Did the healer not fix something right, or-"

The way they were staring at him made him shut up.

"Oh, my," Tenzin said.

Kya cleared her throat. "Mako, don't you think you should ask Asami about this?"

"She thinks I know!" Mako glanced nervously at the kitchen door. "I've been pretending like I do, and now I'm in too deep to say anything to her."

Kya's lips twitched several times. Bumi chuckled out loud.

"A man after my own heart," he said, patting the table. "Just give him the news, Kya."

Kya tilted her head, listening for the sound of water running and voices talking in the kitchen. She leaned forward.

"I don't know any easy way to say this," she said. "Asami is pregnant."

Mako sat there, too stunned to reply.

"It's not yours," Kya added quickly, as if that made a difference. "She says there's no chance you're the father. I'm really sorry you have to find out like this."

Mako frowned and looked down at his bowl. "She's not sick?" he asked. "Or hurt?"

"Unfortunately, the kind of hurt she's going through isn't something we can fix with ointment or waterbending."

"I know." Mako pushed rice around his bowl with the tip of a chopstick. "What happens if she can't get the operation?"

"The baby will keep growing," Kya said. "Eventually people will be able to tell she's pregnant, and it could mean a lot of trouble for Asami."

"Her company."

"Yes. Among other things."

Mako sat there in silence for a few minutes, processing everything Kya had said and trying to figure out a way to fix it.

"Which one was the father?" Mako asked. "Was it one of the waterbenders? What kind of bender is the baby going to be?"

Kya smiled, as if he were a small child asking what jobs cats did all day.

"There's no way to know, unfortunately," she said. "If Asami gave birth, you might be able to tell eventually, but-"

"What are her options?" Mako persisted. "If she can't get the operation in time, what could she do instead?"

"She might be able to find help later on at Ember Island," Kya said. "And if that fails, she could go into hiding until the baby is born."

"She doesn't want to do that," Mako said. "What else?"

"Uhh…" Kya glanced from Bumi to Tenzin. "I suppose she could stay here in Republic City and go through with the pregnancy. It would be professional suicide, but-"

"What if someone took responsibility for the baby and said it was theirs?" Mako persisted. "Could she stay in Republic City without destroying her company?"

"That would be better," Kya said. "It wouldn't solve much, though. Being an unwed mother-"

"What if I married her?" Mako asked.

There was a heartbeat of silence.

"Son, that's a very big commitment," Tenzin said.

"Just tell me," Mako said. "Would that work? If we eloped and told everyone the baby was just a little early? No one would question that, right?"

"It's not the worst idea," Kya admitted. "If she truly can't go through with the operation, it would be the next best option. But you'd need to seriously think about this before making any commitments. Asami wants to end this pregnancy. If you talk her into going through with it and then abandon her when it's too late-"

"I won't!" Mako said. "And I won't try to talk her out of the operation. It's only a backup plan. It's my fault Asami's in this situation. I couldn't handle knowing I'd ruined her entire life. I want to fix things."

"Mako, this isn't something you can just fix-"

"Remember when she said she'd jump off a bridge?" Mako cut Kya off. "Was that because of the baby?"

Kya hesitated and then nodded with a sigh.

"I'm not going to let that happen," Mako said. "And I'm not going to let her company go under. She saved my life. If I have the chance to save hers, then… well, I at least owe her that."

Tenzin's hand clapped Mako's shoulder. "That's very admirable," he said. "If it comes down to that-and I hope it doesn't-you have our support."

Pema and Asami returned just then, before Mako had a chance to respond. From the motherly way Pema's hand cupped Asami's elbow, Mako could tell they'd been talking about the same subject.

"It really was a lovely dinner," Kya said as Asami sat back down next to Mako.

"Yes, thank you," Mako said. "We'll have to return the favor some time."

"Yes, that would be fun." Asami rested her head on his shoulder.

He glanced down at her. She looked different, somehow. More tired. More vulnerable. More desperate. He put his arm around her shoulders and rubbed her arm.


	8. Chapter 8

Beifong kept Mako an hour after work for training the next day. Normally, Mako wouldn't have minded. He probably would have even been pleased to have some one-on-one training with his boss. As it was, though, he couldn't stop worrying about getting home in time to prepare dinner for Korra and Asami. He somehow managed to absorb most of the info Lin told him, and he picked up the rest from his notes while waiting for the streetcar.

He shouldn't have worried so much about dinner. When Mako arrived at the mansion, Korra and Asami were lounged on Asami's bedroom floor, eating leftover noodles and sifting through the content's of Asami's overturned jewelry box.

"Basically, Future Industries is bidding on a contract," Asami was explaining as she untangled a gold chain. "The city is looking for someone to put the city back together, and I think I have some really good ideas. It'll cost less to go in some new directions, and the earthquakes make me think we should move away from the recent trend of top-heavy skyscrapers and back toward- sorry, I'm rambling."

"No, I like it." Korra held up a ring to the light. "I like hearing you talk about Future Industries stuff, even if I don't understand half of it. I think it's the bee's knees that my best friend is rebuilding Republic City."

"I haven't won the bid yet," Asami reminded her.

"Still, it's neat." Korra showed her the ring. "This one seems special. Where is it from?"

"Oh! My mom's engagement ring!" Asami slipped it onto her finger. "Wow, it's even a little roomy on me. My mom had such slender fingers. I wonder if my dad had it resized for her when she was carrying me."

"Hey, ladies," Mako greeted them. "Looks like you found food. Do you want me to make you anything else?"

Asami looked at Korra, who shook her head.

"I think we're okay," Asami said. "Thanks, sweetie. Did Chief Beifong keep you late?"

"Yeah, I had some training," Mako said. "Did I miss the practice session?"

"No, we've just been hanging out since I got here," Korra said. "Asami has some really beautiful jewelry."

"It's so nice to spend time together," Asami said. "It's been way too long since we had girl time."

"I'll say." Korra held up a sparkly, blue-flecked, opal pendant. "Ohh, I love this one."

"You should take it," Asami said. "I never wear it and it doesn't have any sentimental value for me. I think it was a birthday present from an acquaintance when I was little."

"I don't know. I'm not much of a jewelry girl."

"But it's totally your colors." Asami set her noodle bowl aside and unclasped the silver chain. "Try it on."

"If you insist."

Asami fastened the necklace around Korra's neck. "Oh, it looks amazing on you! You have to take it with you. I insist."

Korra admired her reflection with a jeweled hand-mirror. "It does look really good," she said. "Okay, if you insist."

"I guess we should get started." Asami shoved her jewelry back into the little chest. "Will you have enough room in the kitchen?"

"Your kitchen is the size of my parents' house," Korra said. "So, yes."

Mako wasn't sure what he'd expected, but it definitely hadn't been flickering candles and crystal water goblets. Korra cleared her throat as she cracked her knuckles.

"I'm not so good around breakables," she laughed nervously. "Hopefully I don't knock all of these onto the floor."

"It's okay if you do," Asami said. "There are plenty more where those came from."

"I'll try to be careful anyway."

Mako and Asami sat in the two chairs on the other side of the kitchen. Korra repositioned the candles and then pulled the water out of the glasses, forming one big, floating orb.

"Katara taught me this dance," Korra said. "I hope I still remember it all."

She spiraled the water around her. The candle flames blinked in the reflection, giving the impression of thousands of blinking yellow stars. Most of Mako's attention was stuck on Asami, though. Her crossed arms seemed tense, her shoulders high. Mako's hand hovered behind her neck, waiting. She nodded, and he massaged her neck until her shoulders dropped. After a few minutes, he even caught a smile on her lips.

"I'm going to move closer to you now," Korra warned. "I promise I'll go slow, and I won't touch you with the water unless you say it's okay. Yeah?"

"Go for it," Asami said.

Korra took four steps closer, standing in the middle of the room. Asami grasped Mako's free hand, coating it with sweat. He gave her wet fingers a gentle squeeze.

"You can tell me to stop any time," Korra reminded Asami.

"I know." Asami leaned back into Mako's other hand. "I'm fine."

Korra pretended to juggle three blobs of water, grinning as she tossed and caught them. "I could make a little water Pabu," she said. "You could pet it."

Asami wrinkled her nose. "One step at a time. I have to get used to being around someone waterbending first."

"Are you scared?" Korra held the water in her hands and looked at Asami. "We can take a break."

"It's complicated to explain," Asami said. "But please, keep going. This is the only way I'll get used to it."

Korra took slow, patient steps toward Asami, who spent most of the process gouging her nails into Mako's hand. When her grip finally relaxed, Korra closed the distance between them and knelt down. She pooled the water over her hands until it glowed bright blue and held them over Asami's stomach.

"I don't know exactly how they do it," Korra said apologetically. "I don't know if they do it all on the outside or if they'll need to do anything internally."

"It's okay." Asami touched Korra's hands with her fingertips. "I'll have you and Mako to keep me focused, whatever they need to do."

"Do you feel better?" Korra asked. "Less scared?"

"Yes, actually," Asami said. "Thank you so much, Korra."

Korra rose, and the water around her fingers poofed into mist. "When did you say your appointment was?"

"I haven't made it yet," Asami said. "I wasn't sure I'd be able to go through with it. I'll let you both know when I have a timeslot."

"You've got this," Korra said. "I believe in you."

Asami smiled and pulled Korra into a hug.

o0o0o

The waterbending midwife was booked for the next two weeks, during which time Asami developed a nervous habit of pacing the mansion. Mako even caught her sleepwalking twice. Fortunately, he was a light sleeper, and Asami never put up a fight when he led her back to bed.

The adults all took turns paying Asami visits during the agonizing wait. Mako didn't know how often they visited while he was at work, just that they occasionally greeted him on their way in or out of Asami's study or workshop in the evening. Pema and Kya came most often, sometimes together, less frequently with Tenzin awkwardly trailing behind them. Lin stopped by once for a few seconds, just long enough to ask Asami how she was feeling and if she'd "taken care of the problem" yet. Mako even caught part of a rare serious conversation while Bumi helped Asami build a new electric glove.

"Believe me, I know how scary those memories can be," Bumi was saying. "Sometimes, it feels like they're going to swallow you whole, doesn't it?"

Asami nodded, her back to Mako as he stood just outside the workshop door.

"They won't, though," Bumi said. "They can't. See, if they're not strong enough to bring down a creampuff like me, I know they won't get you."

"Thanks. That's-" Asami cleared her throat. "That's sweet. Sorry. I don't mean to get so emotional all the time. I know my experience hardly compares to what you went through."

"It's different and not so different at the same time," Bumi said. "We both saw our close friends get horribly hurt. We both went through pain and humiliation and fear most people can't imagine. That kind of experience leaves a mark, whether you're a soldier or a civilian."

"I'll feel better once I put this complication behind me," Asami said. "Not just because of the obvious. I have other reasons."

"Any you feel like sharing?"

"I... it... It's hard to put into words," Asami said. "I guess I feel like if I can voluntarily walk into the midwife's office and not run out screaming, I'll know I'm strong enough to survive anything."

"If you've made it this far, you already know that somewhere deep down," Bumi said. "But I understand. I wish you nothing but good luck fighting your cannibals day after tomorrow."

After Bumi left, Mako approached Asami about it.

"If all these visitors are bothering you, I can tell them to stop coming over," Mako offered. "I don't mind being the jerk if it's what you need."

"Thanks, but I really don't mind it." Asami flexed her new electric glove. "It's nice of them. I didn't think most of them even knew my name before Harmonic Convergence. I'm touched they all care enough come see me."

Mako almost said that they were only being so nosy because things were slow and boring after Harmonic Convergence, but luckily he realized how hurtful that would sound just before he said it.

"You're an important part of Team Avatar," he said instead. "Of course they care about you. You're family to them."

Asami beamed and kissed him, grabbing his face in both hands. Mako's heart seemed to pulse through his whole body. It wasn't until Asami pulled away that he realized the ground was actually physically shaking underneath him. He tensed, ready to cover her with his body if necessary, but the tremor did little more than rattle dishes and keepsakes on their shelves.

"It's so strange," Asami remarked. "Korra and Tenzin can't figure out any reason for there to be so many earthquakes. Do you think the spirits are unsettled after Harmonic Convergence?"

"I don't know," Mako said. "That's not really my area of expertise."

"It's just so fascinating to me," Asami persisted as they climbed the stairs and undressed for bed. "I'd love to know what's causing them. Don't you want to know?"

Mako really didn't care, but he nodded anyway.

"Maybe it's wild badgermoles," Asami mused, crawling into bed.

"Maybe."

They were quiet for a few moments, and Mako thought Asami was already asleep. But then she adjusted her head against his arm, trying to find a comfortable spot.

"Hey," he said.

"Hm?"

"Can I ask you something and you not get mad?" Mako asked.

"You can ask, but I can't make any promises about how I'll react."

"Oh. Well, it's about... " He didn't know what to call it, so he pressed his hand between her hip bones, under the slight curve of her belly.

"What do you want to know?" she asked, the anxiety in her voice palpable.

He took a deep breath and then plunged right in. "First, I'm not accusing you of anything, I just really need to know."

"All right. I'm listening."

"Remember that last night on the ship, when I was kissing your neck and you said there was 'no point' in us having sex, that it was 'too late?'"

She stiffened, ready to pull away. "Mako, now is really not a good time-"

"I'm not asking for sex," he said. "Will you let me finish?"

She pressed her lips together and said nothing.

"I just need to know... were you planning on tricking me into thinking the baby was mine?"

"No!" She sat up in bed. "No! How could even think that I would- No!"

"Sorry," he said. "I wasn't trying to upset you. I just don't understand what you meant."

"Mako... the double-cross happened during the worst time of my cycle." Asami sat facing away from him. "The first time I realized I might be pregnant was when Viper was waterbending me after he..." She picked at a thread on the hem of her nightgown. "I wasn't trying to trick you. I was trying to trick myself."

"Huh?"

"I thought maybe it would be easier to handle it if there were any chance it were yours. But clearly that wasn't meant to be. Mako, I'm so, so sorry if I pressured you or made you uncomfortable-"

"No, stop." Mako touched her elbow. "That's not it at all. I was just wondering if you thought I wouldn't help you out unless I thought it was mine."

"Of course not. You'd already sworn you'd take care of me if this happened. Remember, when I was in the bathtub? I just thought it would be easier to live with this… thing inside me if I could believe it was part of you, not one of those gangsters."

"Does it really make that much of a difference?"

"Yes. It's a constant reminder of what they did to me. Of what I did to them." Asami took a shuddering breath. "I don't know what I'll do if I can't go through with the operation. I _have_ to go through with it. I don't have any other option."

He hugged her from behind. "We could get married."

"Be serious, Mako."

"What? You can't imagine us married and taking Junior to his first pro-bending game?" Mako kissed her shoulder. "I pretty much raised Bolin, and he turned out okay. Mostly."

"Mako..."

"I could totally handle a little Triad baby, even if it's a waterbender or earthbender-"

"Get out!" Asami pushed him away from her. "Go!"

"Huh? What did I do?"

"You're making fun of my pain!" She threw a pillow at him and then hid her eyes behind her hands.

"No, I'm not!" Mako didn't know what he'd done to make her think that, but he hated himself for it. "Asami, I swear-"

"You're being cruel." Asami's voice cracked. "Just go! Sleep in a guest room if you want; just leave me alone."

Mako wanted to stay and protest his innocence, but Asami looked so miserable that he didn't want to hurt her anymore, even by accident.

"All right, I'm going," he said. "I wasn't making fun of you, though."

Asami didn't answer. Mako propped the pillows back on the bed and went next door to the guest room.

He was lying awake in the cold bed an hour later when he heard Asami retching in her bathroom. He made a cup of tea and brought it to her, knocking on the open bathroom door.

"I brought you some tea." Mako set it on the counter. "Uh, I guess I'll leave you alone now."

He was halfway out of her bedroom when he heard her voice.

"Mako? Wait. Don't leave me."

It always felt good to take care of Asami, even when that meant wiping vomit off her face with a wet washcloth. They sat with their backs against her tub. Mako put his arm around her shoulders while Asami sipped her tea.

"I'm sorry I got so upset," Asami said.

"Uh, that's okay," he said. "I probably deserved it."

"No, I overreacted." She nestled her head into his shoulder. "I guess it felt so cruel because I do wish someone would rescue me like that. But no one in their right mind would do that. It's too much to ask of anyone."

"Well, I'm here for you." He strained his neck to kiss her cheek. "Whatever you need."

"I think I need sleep right now." Asami struggled onto her feet. "Sorry for keeping you up late."

"You know I don't care about that," Mako said. "But if you really want to make it up to me, you can scratch my back while I fall asleep."

Asami smiled. "Deal."

She was still sleeping the next morning when Mako got up for work, so he made sure not to wake her. He did, however, stop at the flower shop on his way to the station.

"I need flowers delivered to my girlfriend," he told the woman behind the counter.

"Are these for a special occasion?"

"Uhh…" Mako rubbed the back of his neck. "I accidentally made her cry last night, and I want her to know-"

"Say no more," the woman said, and brought Mako three flowers- one white and bell shaped, one a big cluster of tiny purple blooms, and one yellow daffodil.

"Perfect," Mako said. "All of those."

He scribbled Asami's address on a card and then flipped it over to write, "Sorry for being a jerk last night. I'm here for you, whatever happens tomorrow." He slid the card to the woman.

"You should sign it," she said.

"I'm pretty sure she'll know it's from me," Mako said.

"Your call." The woman took the card along with Mako's thirty yuans. "I'll have my delivery girl deliver them by lunch time."

o0o0o

Once everyone (especially Chief Beifong) stepped out at noon, Mako took his boxed lunch out of his desk drawer and called Bolin's new apartment.

"Hello?" Bolin answered groggily on the fourth ring.

"Bolin, I need your help with a top secret mission," Mako said. "Can you promise to keep your mouth shut?"

"Yeah…?" Bolin yawned. "What is it?"

"I want to buy a ring," Mako said. "And you've been better friends with Asami than I have, over the past few months, so-"

"Asami?!" Bolin shrieked. "You're buying a ring for Asami?! Is it an engagement ring? PLEASE TELL ME IT'S AN ENGAGEMENT RING!"

"Shh, keep it down," Mako said. "Yes, I'm buying an engagement ring for Asami. But she probably won't say yes. It's kind of a last resort thing."

"What do you mean?" Bolin asked. "How could she not want to marry you? I mean, aside from the whole breaking her heart and cheating on her thing. But that's ancient history. Who wouldn't want to have Nuktuk as their brother-in-law?! I'm great!"

"I know, Bolin," Mako said. "But I'm only offering to marry her because she's in trouble."

"What kind of trouble?" Bolin asked. "Do you need me to drop more guys down the stairs?"

"Not that kind of trouble," Mako said. "Asami's... you know."

"What?"

"Having a baby," Mako lowered his voice.

"You and Asami are having a baby?!" Bolin screamed, and then started laughing hysterically. "Oh man, oh man! I'm gonna be an uncle?! I'm gonna be an uncle!"

"Shut up, Bolin! It's a secret! They can probably hear you in Ba Sing Se."

"Oh, right, sorry." Bolin giggled one last time. "But a baby! Aren't you excited, bro? Do you think it'll have your eyes?"

"I didn't get her pregnant," Mako said.

"What? But you said... wait, how does that work?"

Mako pinched the bridge of his nose. "Bolin, did you ever stop to wonder why Asami and I were so upset that we did what we did to the Triple Threats?"

"Yeah, they hurt the two of you," Bolin said. "They almost killed you, and they did horrible things to Asami."

"Do you understand exactly what kind of horrible things they did to her?"

"Of course. I'm a smart guy; I can read between the lines."

Mako played with the phone cord. "Okay, and you still know how babies are made, right?"

"Yes, Mako, I'm not Meelo," Bolin said. "But what does that have to do with Asami being pregnant? You can't get pregnant if you don't want to be pregnant."

"What? Yes, you can. You totally can."

"Really? Because that's not what I heard."

"Well, you heard wrong," Mako snapped. "Unless you're calling Asami a liar."

"No, no! I believe you! And I believe Asami! I've just never heard of this before."

"Anyway." Mako rolled his eyes. "That's what's going on. You can't tell anyone, okay? Not the airbender kids, not Asami's dad, and definitely not the reporters! If you tell people, you'll ruin Asami's company forever, and she'll jump off a bridge. Not a word, Bolin."

"Okay, okay, I've got it," Bolin said. "I won't even tell Pabu. But if it's not your baby, why are you marrying her?"

"She's my girlfriend," Mako said. "Besides, I got her into this mess, and I want to help her out of it. I don't care if it's not 'mine.' I just want Asami to be okay. She'll probably be fine-and not pregnant-after her doctor's appointment tomorrow. But if things go badly, I want to surprise her with a ring so she knows she has options."

"Ooooh," Bolin crowed. "I know you _just_ said she probably won't be pregnant after tomorrow, but this is still so exciting! I want to be an uncle so badly and I never even thought about it before today!"

"Great." Mako rubbed his temples. "Now, has Asami ever mentioned what kind of ring she wants? Should I ask Korra instead?"

"Hmm, y'know, Asami did mention one time that it would be really special to wear her mom's ring," Bolin said. "Maybe you can talk to her dad? I'm sure he'd know where to find it."

"No, I know exactly where it is," Mako said. "Listen, if I pay you back, will you take Asami out for dinner tonight? You can bring Korra, too, if you want."

"Sure! There's a new restaurant me and Asami have been wanting to try out. Should I call her up?"

"No, I'll tell her," Mako said. "Just make sure to keep her away from the house for a few hours tonight. And don't mention any of this, Bolin! I'll never forgive you if you spill the plan."

"Okay, got it," Bolin said. "Not one word. My lips are sealed."

"Great," Mako said. "I'll call Asami now. Bye."


	9. Chapter 9

Asami didn't go to bed until well after midnight, and her nervous energy kept Mako awake even after she'd fallen asleep on his chest. He was just dozing off early in the morning when the bed rumbled. Asami didn't stir, so Mako ignored the earthquake to let her keep snoozing. But the quake kept going for the better part of ten minutes, growing stronger until it knocked Asami's books off their shelves. Asami sat up, blinking in confusion as her dishes crashed to pieces downstairs.

"What's going on?" she asked.

"Earthquake." Mako pulled her onto her feet and yanked her under the doorway to her bathroom. "We should be safe here until it passes. Don't be scared."

He held her close; surely she must have been terrified, waking up to her house collapsing around her. But Asami simply yawned into his chest and nudged his arm until he loosened his grip on her.

"Hey, Mako?" She yawned again.

"What?" Mako asked.

"Are badgermoles nocturnal?"

"Uh… I have no idea."

She snuggled her cheek into his undershirt. "Maybe it's a badgermole party under my house."

He couldn't help but smile at how cute she was, mostly asleep and mumbling about badgermoles. He kissed the top of her head.

"Yeah, that's probably it." Mako leaned against the doorjamb and caressed her back. "I'm sure the police will break it up soon."

Right on cue, the earthquake stopped.

Mako sighed in relief. "And that's that."

He led Asami back to bed and tucked her in. He was about to climb in next to her when he heard the phone ringing in the study. He padded down the hall, avoiding a few patches of broken ceramic figurines, and answered.

"Good, your phone line still works," Beifong said. "Half the lines in the city are down, and there are casualties near the hospital. I know it's your day off, but I need you down there keeping order while the earthbenders pull people out of the rubble. It's chaos on the streets."

"Yes, Chief," Mako said. "I'll be there as soon as I can."

Mako opened Asami's desk drawer and took out a pad of paper and a pen. He scrawled a quick note for her:

_"Asami, Beifong called me into work around 4. I'll try to get off in time for your appointment. If I can't, don't wait for me. Korra will be there. I know you need this operation, and she's a lot better at this kind of thing than I am. I'll see you soon."_

As he pulled on his uniform, he felt the engagement ring in his breast pocket, where he'd hidden it the night before. He buttoned the pocket to keep the ring from falling out, left the note on his pillow, and kissed Asami on the forehead.

o0o0o

By late morning, Mako was watching the clock anxiously. He tried to remind himself that it would probably be better if Korra alone accompanied Asami, since Mako was bound to be useless or say something wrong. Still, when it got close to two, he found himself tapping his foot. When Lin passed by, he spoke up again.

"Hey Chief-"

"Mako, for the third time, I need you here," Lin said. "You'll just have to cancel your plans. We're police officers; when duty calls, we have to answer."

"I know, but…" Mako sighed, unable to bring himself to use Asami's private health problems as an excuse. "Never mind."

He buried his nose back in his paperwork, trying to focus on filling out sixty-seven incident reports. His head snapped up when he heard Lin say Asami's name.

"What are you doing here, Asami?"

"I need to talk to Mako," Asami said. "It's important."

"Make it quick." Lin brushed past. "I don't know if you've noticed, but Republic City is literally falling apart."

Asami approached Mako's desk and sat down in Jun's empty chair. "Is this where your partner sits?" Her voice was too casual, tension hiding just under the surface.

"Yeah, but I've barely seen her since I came back after Harmonic Convergence," Mako said. "I'm still training, and she's usually out doing stuff."

"You didn't tell me your new partner was a 'she.'" Asami traced a long scratch on the surface of the desk. "We should have her over for dinner. I'd love to meet her. Check out the competition."

Her tone was light, but her smile didn't reach her eyes. Mako scooted close to her and took her hand.

"What's going on?" he asked. "Why aren't you headed to your appointment? Where's Korra?"

"Korra's in an important meeting at City Hall." Asami's voice cracked. "Pema called me early this morning to tell me."

"Great," Mako sighed. "Can she go with you?"

"No. She offered, sort of, but I can't ask her to do that. I know she won't be able to find anyone to watch the kids with all the earthquake efforts going on," Asami said. "And it's just not the same. I love Pema, but you and Korra are the only ones who know the truth. And you and Korra know how to calm me down when I'm scared. And I'm so scared-" She ducked her head and hid behind her hands.

"Hey, it's going to be okay." Mako held her shoulders. "We'll just reschedule it."

Asami shook her head. "It was almost impossible to get this appointment. I don't even know if I can get another one before it's too late. And even if I can, I don't think I can bear the waiting."

"Okay… so how can I make it better?"

"Come with me. Please."

Mako froze. "I want to, but-"

"Please, Mako. I really need you." Her lip was trembling, and her green eyes were wet. "You know I would never bother you at work unless I had no other option. There's no way I can go through this alone. Please come with me."

Mako knew he couldn't ever say no to her; there was no point stalling. He closed his folder and stood up.

"Let's go," he said. "But hurry, before-"

"Where do you think you're going?" Lin blocked the doorway.

"Oh, Chief, uh…" Mako glanced at Asami. "I was just, uh…"

Asami's red-lined eyes grew determined, and she swallowed her tears. She stood up straight, nearly matching Mako's height. "Sorry, Chief Beifong, but I need to borrow your detective," Asami said. "My appointment is in a half hour, and I don't have anyone else to go with me."

"Appointment?" Lin asked. "Are you finally taking care of your... situation?"

"Yes," Asami said. "But I might not have another shot if I miss today's appointment. I would go alone if I could, but after what waterbenders did to me in the first place...

Mako braced himself for a harsh comment about Asami needing to suck it up and hold her own hand, but Lin's face softened instead.

"Take the rest of the day off," Lin told Mako. "And be sure to get some sleep tonight. You look like shit. I need my detectives primed and ready for action. Understand?"

Mako saluted her, stifling a yawn. "Yes, Chief."

o0o0o

After seeing how Asami acted at the waterbending clinic with Mako present, he couldn't imagine how anxious she'd be by herself. As it was, her chin twitched periodically, reminding Mako of the sharp gestures Naga made when biting fleas. Unlike at the nonbender clinic, no one gave a second glance to Mako's police uniform. He kept touching the ring through his jacket, making sure it hadn't fallen out.

Even though they'd arrived twenty minutes early, the midwives kept them waiting well past Asami's appointment time. Asami hopped up every five minutes to pace, gnawing at a hangnail on her thumb. Mako wanted to be a good boyfriend and make Asami feel better, but he didn't know what to do. She jerked her head away when he tried to massage her neck, and she didn't want him holding her damp hand. She just wanted to rub both of her palms up and down her skirt. After they'd been sitting there for more than an hour, Mako rose to stretch his legs.

"Do you want me to make a scene?" He thumped his badge.

She cringed. "Please don't."

"What exactly am I supposed to be doing?" Mako asked. "Especially after they start?"

"I just need you to keep me calm enough to get through this session without me sprinting all the way to Ba Sing Se. It's taking everything I have not to run out the door right now."

"I'll do what I can," Mako said.

The waterbender called Asami's name just then, making Asami jump as if she'd been shocked by another one of her tools. Her feet seemed to suddenly stop working, so Mako helped steer her. The waterbender stopped him when they reached the door.

"Sorry, sir, but you can't go back there."

"What?" Asami's shoulders tightened. "But I called and made sure I could bring a support person!"

"You can bring one person with you, but it has to be a woman. I'm sorry; they should have told you that when you scheduled the appointment. We don't allow men in the operating room. It's not a long procedure, though."

Asami went very still and very quiet.

"Let's call Pema," Mako said. "Air Temple Island is only ten minutes away. I'll go watch the kids for her while she holds your hand."

"No, I'll be fine!" Asami gave him a brave smile, her lips twitching. "I've gone to the doctor alone since I was eleven. It's not a big deal."

Mako shrugged. "If you're sure. I'll be right here if you need me."

"I'll be fine," Asami repeated. "I'll be totally fine. Hold my purse?"

Mako accepted her purse along with her cold peck on his jaw. He slouched in a different seat and eavesdropped on Asami's session.

"There's really nothing to be afraid of, ma'am."

"At least you don't have to buckle me in," Asami laughed nervously.

"Yes. Take off your shoes and underwear, please."

There was a pause, then the creak of a table.

"This will only take about a half hour," the waterbender said. "Spread your legs and breathe normally."

There was silence, and then Asami gasped as if in pain. "Oh! It's so cold."

"The cold prevents excess bleeding. You'll get used to it. I need you to open your legs for me again. Ma'am?"

The table creaked again, louder than the first time.

"Uh, ma'am?"

Fabric rustled. Asami's boots clomped on the floor a few times, as if she were hastily pulling them back on while standing. Mako could hear her loud, staccato breathing.

"Ma'am, I promise, it's practically painless!"

"Asami?"

Asami darted past Mako, shoving the door so hard the jingly little bell thwacked cacophonously against the wood. He ran out after her, but she was nowhere to be found be the time his feet hit the sidewalk.

"Asami?" He stood on his toes and scanned the busy sidewalk in both directions. "Asami!"

He had just decided that Asami really had run to Ba Sing Se when he heard trash shuffling between the buildings. He tucked Asami's purse under his arm, slipped into the alley, and found Asami hugging herself near the dumpster.

"Asami!" He sighed in relief. "You scared me. Are you okay?"

"No!" She swiped at her dripping nose. "I can't believe I ran away. I'm such a coward. I have to go back in there, but- Oh, this garbage smells so bad-"

She gagged twice before doubling over, slapping her hand onto the bricks to keep from falling. Her hair was already tied at her shoulder, so Mako rubbed her back in the unobtrusive circles he'd learned watching Pema and Senna.

"It's okay," he soothed her.

"Oh, no," Asami moaned between heaves. "No, please, not again!"

She shoved her skirt between her thighs, but it was too late. A puddle was already forming around her boots, soaking her stockings. She hung her head, laughing and crying at the same time.

"What's so funny?" Mako asked.

"Pregnancy is so disgusting." Asami pressed her forehead to the bricks. "And I could be done with it already, but instead I'm vomiting and wetting myself outside the midwife's office because I'm too weak and cowardly to go through an easy healing session!"

"Stop. You're one of the bravest people I know," Mako said. "You stood up to five gangsters to save my life. You've just had really, really bad luck with this."

"Maybe this operation isn't meant to happen." She took back her purse from Mako, pulling it up her shoulder. "Maybe I'm meant to have the baby. The universe seems pretty insistent."

"Who cares?" Mako said. "We'll find a way to do the operation anyway."

"No, I'm done. I give up. I don't want to fight fate anymore. Go home, Mako."

"Why? Where are you going?"

"For a walk," Asami said. "To think about my options."

"Are you walking to the bridge?"

"I-"

Asami threw up again before she could answer. When she straightened, Mako used his handkerchief to wipe her eyes first, then her streaming nose, and then finally the porridge splattered across the left side of her face.

"You're so beautiful," he said, and meant it.

"Right now?" She raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

"Yes, right now." He pulled her into a hug, not caring about the wetness that seeped from her clothes into his. "I love you, and everything is going to be okay. I'll just go back in there and explain the situation to them, and we'll reschedule for a day when Korra can come with you-"

"I can't go through all this again." Asami shook her head. "Mako, showing up today took everything I had and then some. I don't have another appointment in me. Not for months, and by then it'll be too late."

"Okay," Mako said. "So… now what?"

"Now nothing." Asami hugged herself again, her tears dripping onto the ground. "It's over. I'm ruined. My company won't survive six months in the Southern Water Tribe. My reputation won't survive six months in Republic City. The only way to come out of this situation with any honor is if I jump-"

"Hey!" Mako shook her gently. "Stop. Don't talk like that. I can't imagine my life without you. In fact…"

He dropped on one knee, careful to find a clean patch, and fumbled with the button on his breast pocket. He must have looked sufficiently strange, because Asami stopped crying in favor of staring at him. When he finally produced the engagement ring, she stumbled backward, hitting her head on the wall.

"Mako-"

"This is your ring either way." He kissed the back of her left hand before sliding the ring onto her finger. "But after all we've been through, I can't picture spending my life with anyone else. I love you, Asami. I want to fall asleep every night holding you. I want to untangle myself from your hair and then make you breakfast every morning."

She giggled, but this time it was soft, not hysterical. Encouraged, Mako pushed through the speech he'd rewritten a dozen times over the past two days.

"I want to go to work every day to support you and the baby." He kissed her stomach, making her squirm, even though the wet spot started at least a foot lower. "_Our_ baby. I want the three of us to be a family. Do… do you feel the same way?"

"Yes," she whispered. "But Mako, this can't possibly be what you want-"

"It is," Mako said. "I have a good job, a good life, and a beautiful, smart, pregnant girlfriend. A baby is a surprise, but it doesn't have to be a bad one, right? My parents were 19 when they had me."

"You don't have to do this."

"I know. I want to."

"Why?"

Mako shrugged. "Maybe it's not exactly the way I pictured it, but I'm ready to be a dad. And a husband. Aside from Bolin, I don't really have anybody. I'm ready to have a family again."

"Me too," Asami said.

"Then let's do it." Mako grabbed both of her hands. "Let's get married and raise this baby together. Please, Asami? Will you marry me?"

She nodded and threw her arms around his neck, kissing his face.

The waterbender cleared her throat from the walkway.

"Excuse me, Ms. Sato. I have another patient waiting. Will you be rescheduling?"

Asami raised her head. "No," she said. "We're getting married! Wow, we're getting married... And having a baby... I feel dizzy..."

She sagged into Mako, pressing her fingers against the bridge of her nose. The waterbender helped Mako support Asami out of the alley, sitting her on a nearby bench.

"Thanks," she said.

"No problem," said the waterbender. "It happens more often around here than you'd think."

"Which part?" Asami asked. "The running out the door, the dizzy spells, or the surprise engagement?"

"All of the above, actually." The waterbender smiled. "I'll get you some water."

Mako sat on the bench with Asami, who sipped the water and watched the passing traffic. When she was finished drinking, he returned the cup to the clinic and then stood behind the bench.

"What do we do now?" he asked.

"I don't know." Asami dumped her boots out over the gutter. "Home? I feel so woozy."

"How about lunch?" Mako asked.

"All right," Asami said. "Oh! Let's go to Air Temple Island."

"Huh?"

"I want to tell Pema." Asami stuffed her feet into her boots and stood up. "And Korra will probably be there as soon as her meeting is over. Let's go!"

"Right now?"

"Yes! The ferry's only a few minutes from here."

"Uh… don't you want to go home first so you can change?"

"I can change while I'm there! Half my wardrobe is still there."

Mako shrugged. "Okay. Let's go."

When they reached Air Temple Island, they were greeted by Pema, who was holding her two youngest, and Kya, who had wet hair and was carrying dusty blue robes to the washing room.

"How did it go?" Pema asked, prying Meelo's finger out of her nose.

"I couldn't do it." Asami held out her left hand. "But we're getting married!"

"Oh... wow..." Pema glanced from Asami's finger to Mako's face. "That's... definitely a surprise! How did that happen?"

"I ran out of my appointment and Mako proposed. He had my mother's ring and everything!" Asami said. "He really saved the day. It was so romantic, Pema! Except for the part where I was crying in an alley... and throwing up... and wetting myself... Speaking of which, do you mind if I take a bath?"

"Of course not," Pema said. She handed Meelo and Rohan to Mako. "You're going to need some practice, mister. I just fed them both, so all you have to do is play with them. And maybe change a diaper or two."

"Uhh..." Mako stared down at the kids in a panic.

Pema was already leading Asami to the bathroom. Kya took Meelo.

"Let's go to the playroom," she said. "I want to talk to you."

Once Meelo was playing with a spinning top, Kya showed Mako how to hold Rohan.

"There you go," Kya said. "You have to support his head. He's almost big enough to do it himself, but not quite. Was she going to jump?"

"What?" Mako asked, then realized Kya had changed the topic abruptly. "Oh. Maybe. She wanted to go to the bridge alone, but I don't think she would have done it."

"She's in a tough spot," Kya said. "Plenty of women twice her age have gone through with it for the same reason. Better to be safe than sorry with her right now. But… I'm not sure proposing to her was the right solution, long term."

"What?!" Mako scowled. "Yes, it was! Right after the attack, I promised Asami I would take care of her if this happened. And then the other night, Asami said she wanted someone to marry her so she wouldn't have to have the operation, but that she didn't think anyone would willingly do that and she couldn't ask anyone. She wanted to get married and have the baby!"

"I know it might sound like that, but Asami isn't in a good place," Kya said.

Mako's bewilderment must have shown, because Kya clarified.

"Asami hasn't had enough time to recover from what happened. The last thing she should be doing is getting married. Marriage is a lifetime of commitment and hard work. It's not something you should do because someone is anxious about a medical procedure. I'm really worried you're going to take Asami down this path and get her hopes up, only to back out and leave her in a bad situation when it's too late for her to do anything else."

"I would never do that," Mako said. "I love her. I want to marry her and raise the baby with her and all the stuff that comes along with that. "

"I know. But the last thing I want is for both of you to end up miserable. Look, all I'm asking is that if you decide you can't go through with marrying her, you tell one of us first. Me, Pema, Tenzin, even Bumi."

"I'm not going to back out!" Mako said. "I'm in this for as long as Asami wants me."

Kya sighed. "I'm concerned you don't know what you're getting into."

"Well, I'm not backing out no matter how hard things get, so it doesn't matter," Mako said. "Nothing you say is going to change my mind. Asami wants to get married and have the baby, so that's what we're doing. I'm not going to abandon my wife and baby! I know I wasn't a great boyfriend before, but I'm going to be the best husband and father I can be."

"All right then," Kya said. "I can see you have your mind made up. Best of luck."

She left, and Meelo fell asleep on top of his toys a few minutes later. Mako's nerves got the best of him, so he carried Rohan back and forth near the bathroom. The ladies had opened all the windows up to enjoy the spring breeze, so Mako could hear their whole conversation while Rohan chewed on his buttons.

"Are you sure this is what you want, sweetie?" Pema asked.

Mako strained to hear over the sound of Rohan grunting and gurgling.

"Yes. I'm so happy, Pema. I don't know what I would have done if Mako hadn't proposed."

"Not to rain on your parade, but are you sure Mako is up for this?" Kya asked. "Taking care of children is hard work. I know he wasn't the most faithful before."

"I believe him," Asami said. "If you'd seen his face..."

"I'm sure it will be fine," Pema said. "Men are stupid when they're young, but I know Mako takes his commitments seriously. I bet you he won't even look at other girls once you're married."

"When is the wedding, anyway?" Kya asked.

"Oh... I'm not sure," Asami said. "It'll have to be soon, I suppose. Maybe we should just elope."

"If we all pitch in, I'm sure we can throw you at least a small party," Kya said. "If there's one thing Bumi and I know how to do, it's throw a party."

Mako sniffed and then looked down at Rohan. The baby's diaper was leaking greenish goo everywhere- Rohan's legs, Rohan's back, Mako's arm. Mako held him at arm's length.

"Ahh! Pema! Kya! I need some help!"

Pema rushed out, leaving the bathroom door open. She laughed when she saw Mako's predicament.

"You had me worried." Pema took Rohan from Mako. "This happens a few times a week. It's nothing to fuss about."

"This is normal?" Mako asked in horror.

"It is ever since we started letting him taste grown-up food," Pema said. "All the kids have sensitive tummies, but the boys seem to have it the worst. He'll grow out of it! Probably. Meelo's diapers used to leak all the time. It happens with babies. You just clean them up and move on. Come on, I'll show you."

Mako followed Pema into the bathroom and closed the door. Asami was lounging in soapy water up to her neck, her hair pinned in a pile on top of her head, while Kya sat on a stool next to the tub.

"See, we just have to get the dirty diaper off..." Pema dropped the diaper in a bin and dropped the lid back on it. "And then we clean up baby and put a clean diaper on-"

"Wait, what happens to the dirty diapers?" Mako asked.

"We wash them by hand every few days," Pema said cheerfully.

"You're joking. Right?"

Kya laughed. "Don't worry, Mako. You two are busy young professionals! I'm sure you'll hire a company to launder your diapers for you."

Mako watched in horrified fascination as Pema cleaned Rohan with a damp red and orange washcloth. She gave Mako a larger washcloth, and he scrubbed his arm until it was red.

"Your tummy feels all better now, doesn't it?" Pema cooed at Rohan. "What a happy little baby! You like Mako, don't you?"

She fastened a new diaper onto him and tickled Rohan's belly, making him laugh.

"Yay," Mako sighed.

Pema handed Rohan back to Mako. The baby yawned, and Mako did the same.

"Sleepyheads," Pema said.

"Yeah, I didn't sleep last night," Mako said.

"Why don't you two lie down?" Pema suggested. "I'll wake you up for dinner."

"Sounds good," Mako said. "Is our old room still empty?"

"Of course," Pema said. "It's not like we have a bunch of new airbenders crowding in!"

Mako wandered down to his old room and lay down in the stiff bed, resting the sleeping baby on his chest. He closed his eyes, and that was the last he remembered until he woke up to Pema and Asami standing over him.

"Aww, they're so cute," Pema was saying. "See, Asami? You have nothing to worry about. He's a natural with kids."

"Apparently." Asami kissed Mako's forehead. "Mako, are you too tired for dinner?"

He grunted in the affirmative.

"Well, I already ate," she said. "I'll just lie down with you, if that's all right."

"Hmm," he grunted again.

He was vaguely aware of Asami walking around and opening drawers and rustling fabric. The bed creaked when she climbed in. Mako rolled over to pull her close, and he found her completely naked. He was instantly awake, kissing her bare shoulder and stroking her side.

"I thought you were too tired?," she teased.

"No way."

"Are you sure? I was going to surprise you when you woke up."

"Well, I'm wide awake now."

"I see. Still, maybe I'd better be on top."

It was lucky that Mako was so tired, because otherwise he would have lost control the second her breasts swayed in front of his face. And he was glad he was tired enough to be able to enjoy it. There was something different about this time. He felt like Asami was actually enjoying herself, instead of forcing herself to pretend like she was. Mako could tell by her soft sighs and the way her body kept squeezing him.

"What are you thinking about?" he asked.

"You saved me," she said. "You're my hero."

She kissed his jaw, and Mako was pretty sure he'd never felt as good as he did right then. She slowed down so she could kiss him. They began making out, and it reminded Mako of those early days of kissing and rubbing against each other in the backseat of a Satomobile, except Asami had always worn clothes back then.

"I love you," he said into her ear, over the magical noises she was making.

"I love you too," she said.

He nibbled on her earlobe, then the side of her neck, and she gasped and rocked on top of him. It was only once she was slowing down, collapsing against his chest, that he let himself have release. He grabbed her perfect, soft bottom in both hands and held on as he moved under her. She sighed, but it was a relaxed, peaceful sigh. He groaned as he gave into her. Asami kissed him again.

They were still lying like that-naked, kissing, Asami straddling Mako-a few minutes later when footsteps pounded toward them and the door slid open. Asami grabbed for the blanket, but it was under Mako's feet, and he couldn't lift them up with her weight on his legs.

"Asami!" Korra burst in. "Pema said you were here-"

"Uh, hi Korra," Mako said.

"Oh! I'm so sorry." Korra tripped over her feet trying to hurry out of the room. "I really need to start knocking."

"It's okay," Asami laughed, pulling her dress over her head. "At least it was you and not one of the kids."

"You sound like you're in a good mood," Korra said through the door. "I guess your appointment went well? I'm so sorry I couldn't be there, Asami. I really am."

"It's okay," Asami said. "It all worked out in the end."

"Well, good," Korra said. "I'm glad you were able to get it done. It must be a relief to have it over with."

"Actually…" Asami opened the door and showed Korra her left hand. "I sort of decided to do something different."

"Oh." Korra blinked, examining Asami's hand. "Oh! Wow. You're getting married?"

"Yes." Asami pulled Korra into the room and closed the door again. "You would have been the first to know, but-"

"Meeting," Korra sighed. "I know. But… wow, you and Mako are getting married! How? Why? Um, it is Mako, right?"

Asami laughed. "No, it's my other boyfriend. Come on, let's sit down."

They sat with their backs against the bed. Mako pulled the blanket up to his waist and lay on his side. He listened without interrupting as Asami recounted the story to Korra, who was resting her head on Asami's shoulder.

"I should have been there," Korra said when Asami finished speaking. "I'm so sorry."

"Don't be," Asami said. "Everything is fine. Better than fine. I'm really happy."

"But maybe if I'd been there… Are you sure you don't want to go back?"

"I'm positive, Korra," Asami snapped. "Can you please just be happy for me?"

"I am happy for you." Korra laid her head in Asami's lap, frowning. "I mean, if this is what you want-"

"It is."

"Okay. It's just that the other day, you said-"

"I know. But I'm allowed to change my mind. Things are different now. I'm happy, Korra. Really, really, really happy."

"Okay, I believe you." Korra traced the stitching on Asami's dress. "Congratulations. Wow, I can't believe you're getting married. To our mutual ex-boyfriend, no less."

"It hasn't totally sunk in for me, either."

Asami rested her head against the bed, and Mako played with her hair. She tilted her head back to smile at him briefly.

"Are you scared?" Korra asked. "This is a lot of change to handle at once. I would be scared."

"I'll probably be more scared once I can wrap my head around it," Asami said. "What about you, Mako? Any second thoughts after that diaper incident?"

"No," Mako said. "I'm in this for good. I'm not backing out, not unless you want me to."

Mako noticed that Korra was wearing the pendant Asami gave her, and for some reason it made him feel jealous.

"Let's get married next week," Mako said.

"Next week?"

"You said we needed to get married soon," Mako said. "So let's do it. Next week."

"I don't know, Mako. Weddings are a lot of work to put together."

"I'll do all the planning so you can relax."

"Okay, then." Asami twisted so she could kiss Mako on the lips one last time. "It's a date."


End file.
